I'd follow you down, anywhere, anywhere
by Chyrstis
Summary: In the blink of an eye their boss was gone. Sucked into Hell, of all places, and promised to the devil's daughter to boot. Good thing the Saints were never ones to take events like this sitting down. GooH, but with a few more familiar faces involved - old friends and enemies alike.
1. Chapter 1

For my boss, V, GooH wasn't canon, but this is an attempt to see what might happen if it was. Who would've gone into Hell after her, who would they have linked up with, etc, and it's been a blast expanding on what the DLC gave us. There are so many people that I need to thank along the way for helping me out while also listening to me slowly fall into a stress-fueled writing-related pit. Autumnyte swept in and helped make this nonsense passable, while block-of-writers was kind enough to let me chat with her while she was working on her own entry.

I also want to thank the SRBB mod over at Tumblr for getting this together to begin with, because while it's been rough rushing to meet the deadline, I don't think this story would've been written without it. Thank you so much for the chance to do this.

* * *

A warm weight settled on his chest, and the corner of Johnny's mouth curved up. "Morning."

"Morning, yourself."

He felt V lean forward, but the kiss she gave him ended a hell of a lot quicker than he wanted it to. Cracking his eyes open, he waited for them to focus, and scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Since when are you up this early?"

"Couldn't sleep. Too much planning to do," she said, anchoring herself over him. Her dark eyes told him she wasn't in any hurry to change positions, but Gat got the impression she was ready to bound off at a second's notice anyway. She kept rocking back and forth, her smile too close to giddy, and he let his eyes follow every move. "I'm about to swear you to secrecy, because no one else can know about this."

"Uh, what?"

He finished rubbing his eyes, and watched V's lips form a thin line.

"Seriously. A few of us already know - which is a huge security breach in and of itself - but…we nip it in the bud there, and we might still have a shot at pulling this off. Sound good?"

He twirled a strand of long red hair around his finger. "Yeah?"

"I'm serious. If she finds out, we're all screwed, and won't even have cake to show for it. She'll probably toss it, and us, out the airlock and go back to huddling in the control room, and we can't have that."

 _Cake? Control room?_ "The fuck? You... Wait a sec. The hell does this have to do with Kinzie?"

"It's her birthday." V's eyebrows went up and down, and she grinned wide. "And over the years we've skipped it, but this year I want to go big."

"No shit? Didn't think she'd share that kinda thing willingly."

"She uh, shelled out a date when I asked. Which was pretty fucking convenient, now that you mention it," V said, narrowing her eyes, "but after all the shit she's done for us, it's the least we can do. I can't think of anything else that's going to pry her away from the computers for a few hours short of pulling something strange on the ship."

"And you're not going for that, cause…?"

"Cause I'd rather not get punched in the face again if I can avoid it, Gat. Anyway, we've been hurting for another party for a while now, so this is definitely going to be a thing. One that I'd love to draft you for."

Johnny opened his mouth to object, but her pout was ready. Her lip stuck out just enough for him to hold his tongue, and he hesitated. "Birthdays usually ain't my thing."

"Funny, I remember a party that I never planned for down at the old HQ, and a lap dance that I sure as hell didn't pay for in advance."

He might've slipped a few bills to a dancer that V kept on letting her eyes drift to, and might've told her to stop on by once things calmed down, but that didn't mean that he had to fess up to it. He smiled broadly at her wry look. "That fucking memorable, eh?"

"Quit being dodgy, Gat. Are you in, or out?"

"…Don't know yet."

"Hey, I'm already going the extra mile and asking. Correct if I'm wrong, but as your boss, I shouldn't have to."

Her finger traced a faint line over his chest, looping into a shape he couldn't recognize, and Gat's lips curved up. That kept her going, and when she grazed him with her nails, he chuckled.

"Is that a yes? An agreement that one Johnny Gat wouldn't leave his oh-so-wonderful boss hanging?"

"You're twisting my arm, _boss_."

"Pshaw. I wouldn't be that cruel."

Leaning down again, he let his eyes follow the line of freckles running down her neck to her chest, and waited for the kiss. Found himself leaning up for it. When it didn't happen, he flicked his eyes back to hers, and the mischievous smile on her face before she darted down to give him a quick peck on the lips. With that done, she hopped off of him, and it took a few seconds for him to let out the breath he'd been holding.

Getting up to run after her was a whole other matter.

* * *

"I don't know. I'm still not sold on it."

V tapped her fingers along the edge of the tablet. "Is it the glowing?"

Shaundi nodded. "It's the glowing."

"They kept on saying it was a chemical that humans wouldn't have any problem digesting. Apparently. And if anyone decides to turn off the lights mid-party it could be pretty cool to have the punch add some mood lighting."

"Boss. We've tried this before."

"And the answer's still no? Even with alien technology backing this shit up?"

"No."

"So close," V said, snapping her fingers.

Crossing that off of the list of things left to confirm, she spun around as she walked just ahead of Shaundi, and nearly hit the closed double-doors ahead. They flew open right before she ran right into them, and she breathed a quick sigh of relief as they kept on walking down the hallway. Every minute or so, Shaundi would speak up to help her correct her course, but by the time they got to their destination, Shaundi all but tugging on her sleeve to keep her from running into anything.

"Boss."

"Hm?" V looked up, and Shaundi helped to spin her around. "Oh, right. Yo, Zinjai!"

The Zin advisor was stationed by a set of computers, overlooking another Zin working at them, and he stood up straight the moment he heard her voice. "Ah, yes! How shall I be of assistance?"

She motioned for him to come over to them. "I know this is a strange request-"

Zinjai paused mid-bow. "My liege, I hardly think any request coming from you could outdo the others I've fielded previously."

Liege was fucking weird to hear, especially in regards to her, but Zinjai had yet to kick the habit. He had a whole slew of titles ready for every situation, and it often left her boggled for a second until she was able to get back in gear again. Now was no exception, but Shaundi's grin while mouthing _liege_ booted her right back into the present. And earned Shaundi a muttered, "hush" while she was at it.

"God, I don't want to know, but…I kinda want to know."

Shaundi aimed a pointed look at her. "You say that now, but no. You don't. I've read the backlogs that Kinzie combed through, and I still wish I could scrub that from my brain."

V laughed nervously. "Okay. Definitely getting back to business, but also cake. I want the best damn cake mix in the galaxy, so we can make the best damn cake in the, er, galaxy. I talked to CID about it, and he's got some good suggestions, but I was wondering if you might have a few too."

"Is this for a special occasion?"

"Yeah. Birthdays are about as special as they can get, and if my hunch's right, this might be one of the first ones done for Kinzie, so I'd hate to disappoint."

"Well, after doing a quick scan with a few basic parameters set" – he whipped out his tablet and entered it in – "here are a few choices we can consider. Both for mixes and proposed designs for the cake in question."

The three huddled around the small tablet, and it didn't take long for V to realize that her request might've been a bit too broad. "Can I make a suggestion?"

"Of course."

"Nothing…wriggly. Or living. It's one thing to make a joke about jumping out of your friend's cake – a fine tradition – and another to have your cake jump and move on its own. You feel me?"

"Ah, yes. That old Earth tradition is one seen in a few other races and settlements."

"The jumping out of the cake bit, or the avoidance of so-called 'wriggly bits' in said cake?"

Shaundi flipped to the next option, and both of her eyebrows flew up. Then went back down as she quickly panned to the one after it. "Pretty sure he means both, boss."

"Yes, actually."

"Huh. Would be both, right?" V said, glancing at the design Shaundi held up to her. V gave it a thumbs up, but the moment she caught the one after that, her hand flew to her mouth.

"Have you found one to your liking? Or to Ms. Kensington's liking?"

"Well…" She found it hard not to giggle, especially after Shaundi failed to hide hers. "She'll get a kick out of it, that's for sure. Mark that down as a strong maybe, Z. We're still short a mix, but keep on looking, and if you find one that's passable, get with CID. With you two winging it, it shouldn't be too tough of a problem to tackle, eh?"

"Not at all."

With that settled, V exhaled and clapped her hands together. "Okay, now odd request number two. Party favors and games?"

"I believe you might be in luck. Former lord and emperor Zinyak was quite interested in human culture and festivities. If you start your search here, you should be able to find something to your liking." V took one look at the inventory list of the ship in question and whistled. There were pages upon pages to _flip_ through. "If not, we could consult other time periods or locales to see if there might be anything better suited to such an occasion."

"Uh, I think we'll stick to this for now. There should be enough shit here to have a party every day for the next ten years."

"Very well! I'll leave this with you, and if you need additional assistance, I can send a unit to help."

She handed the tablet to Shaundi, but he cleared his throat when she moved to follow her.

"Your excellency?"

That caused her to outright cringe. " _Boss_ , Zinjai. Let's stick to boss."

"Ah. Boss. As you've stated in the past. My apologies. Have you given any further thought to the proposed settlement plan?"

A lump lodged in her throat, and she tried not to look Shaundi's way. But her friend's back was turned as she kept on moving down the hall, so she talked fast. "Some. Are, uh, our ratings dropping?"

"No, not at all. They've stabilized, and are still quite positive."

"Okay. Good to know people aren't beating down our door just yet."

"But have you come to a decision yet? Our last discussion did end on a decisive note as to what our next course of action should be. With your word, we can begin the arrangements."

"Yeah, I know. It was pretty damn final, but can we go over this later? Like, once the party winds down? And once I have a good long talk with the others? They've been going at two-hundred percent lately, and I have a feeling that once this amps up, we won't have time for a break like this in a while. You feel me?"

"Of course. It was just a reminder."

One that felt like a lead weight, but she wouldn't skirt it. Not with the number of people depending on her.

 _But tackling it tomorrow wouldn't hurt,_ she told herself as she ran to catch up with Shaundi. _Not one bit._

* * *

"Knock, knock," V said, poking her head into the armory. "Busy?"

"Just checking over a few things. Nothing major, boss." Johnny set down the rifle in his hands after checking the chamber, and crossed his arms. "Don't know about you, though. You've been running around non-stop for hours now."

"I haven't reached chicken-with-my-head-cut-off levels yet, but give it time. No matter how many things you cross off the list, there's always something else to consider," she said, and wandered over to lean against the table edge by him. "You know, it's weird. Thinking about this when we're all but drifting around in some far off corner of space. And can you believe half of this shit was just lying around?"

"Birthdays and icing flavors?" Johnny nodded. "You haven't even touched on party favors."

"Is that a hint of disappointment I'm catching?"

His eyes were hidden behind his glasses as they glanced up in time to catch her impish grin. "Think you're hearing things, V."

"You're the one that said to holler if I needed you. So, I'm hollering." She winked, clucking her tongue as he shook his head at her. "Unless you'd like me to give you five, since you're all set on polishing your weapon here."

That got a smirk. "Never turned down a chance to watch before."

"That's beside the point," she said, knowing they were on the edge of being sidetracked. "But I'd really love to get your help on the next phase of things. It's all been running pretty smoothly so far, especially after the pit stop you made this morning for streamers, but we're still stuck on the important bits. Like say, the cake. CID's trying to whip up some special recipe he heard a millennia ago, but is hung up on the ingredients. We'd need to make a special stop to a planet in a completely different system if we want to give it a whirl."

He raised his head. "You serious?"

"Kinda. I honestly told him you can't go wrong with yellow cake or marble, but he's got a day left to get it finalized. I told Zinjai as much, so those two'll be settling that soon." She tapped her fingers on her chin, and squinted over at him. "Now to think about the DJ. I know that's usually Pierce's bag, but-"

The cloth hit her smack in the face, and Gat snickered at the indignant sound that left her. "Just give it up, V. I'm out."

Puckering her lips, she balled up the cloth and pitched it right back at him. "Hey, no dice! You said you'd at least entertain the idea of helping!"

"And?"

"And we haven't even raided the party car yet. Zinjai mentioned all sorts of fun things being stashed there, and someone's got to crack it. You know you want to."

The expression on his face pretty much told her he didn't, but after a minute, he pursed his lips. Then cocked his head.

"Ten bucks says he's got firecrackers there."

He mulled it over, and V tried not to fidget in place. It was a losing battle. "Only ten?"

"…I might've aimed a little low, but I could up it to fifty."

"Just say it."

V lowered her eyes and pretended to examine her nails. "Say what?"

"You know what."

"That I want you there?" The confession made her pulse jump, and she hoped to hell her face hadn't flared with it. "Thought that was painfully obvious." She snuck a glance at him through her lashes, and when his grin went from playful to fond, she cleared her throat loudly. "Anyway, you coming? We're raiding them in the next couple of minutes."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there."

She pushed away from the table and kept her pace brisk. "Good. Better get your ass moving then, before we call dibs on the good stuff," she threw over her shoulder as she wandered out.

* * *

The room was dark. As dark as the lights blinking from the equipment could allow, but it gave them the cover they needed as Kinzie's voice traveled down the hallway. "Hello?"

V had called her to the rec room over the intercom, noting a blip in the performance of the computer stashed there. Kinzie had immediately jumped into the procedure that she was used to following in these situations – "Have you tried turning it on and off?" "Yes, dammit!" – but relented when every line of questioning kept on receiving vaguer and vaguer answers.

"Hello? Boss? Tell me you didn't start pulling wires again!"

Biting her tongue, V shushed the others when they started eying her, and waited. All they needed to do was wait for the lights.

Sure enough, Kinzie let out a heavy sigh, and the room was flooded with light.

Everyone jumped to their feet, cheering loudly. "Surprise!"

Streamers rained down on Kinzie's head as her eye twitched, but once she saw the cake her face went blank. "A teacup."

The teacup was lovingly crafted in white and blue icing, and the longer she stared at it, the more V felt a nervous laugh gather in her throat. "Uhh…" Kinzie's attention went straight to her, and she threw her hands up. "Okay, I take full responsibility for the shape, guilty as charged, but the icing's top notch."

"…The cake?"

"Yellow. Completely harmless."

Kinzie approached it without breaking eye contact with V, and swiped a finger over the icing used to decorate the corner of the cake. The small blob went right into her mouth, and she narrowed her eyes as she considered it. "Acceptable."

V's shoulders relaxed, and turned to Matt. "You know what to do," she whispered, and his eyes lit up before he ran off. "So, you don't completely hate it?"

"No, but we'll see how the cake fares," Kinzie replied, as a small smile grew. "The office used to try and do these things. Parties and celebrations. We never shared our personal information with each other, and I made sure to cover my tracks, but every so often someone would slip, and a cake would appear in the breakroom."

"But they never got you, eh?"

"No. No one ever did. Not even when I was younger."

"So, you're saying this is the first party you've had…ever?"

"Yes."

V traded a quick look with Johnny and put her hands on her hips. "Well, shit. Looks like we've got to give you a proper one then. But first…"

She gave Johnny the floor, and he whipped out a small hand torch. "We got some candles to light."

The top half of the cake ended up melting under the heat of the torch, but after a quick birthday song which Kinzie ignored in favor of blowing the candles out, the party went into full-swing. Hats were passed out and quickly ditched, and the fun truly began. Matt ran back mid-way through the birthday song with a stack of games, and each Saint took turns deciding what to set up. Pin the tail on the evil Zin-Overlord was a popular pick, as was the Blackjack game Pierce started up.

Matt's choice, however, was a little more off-beat. V hadn't seen it when he'd uncovered it before, but the moment he whipped out the old, worn spirit board, a chill ran down her back. There was no reason for it. It was next to harmless, and was probably plucked from an old general store back in the 80s, but she couldn't help but side-eye it as the others gathered around him to play, and approached it carefully herself.

The lights were lowered, allowing more of a spooky feel, and V held her breath as Matt set the wooden token down.

"Ain't this more of a Halloween-type thing?" Johnny asked, picking at the elastic holding his birthday hat on.

"This? Perhaps, but is there ever a bad time to try and commune with the spirits in the beyond?

V rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"Is that a hint of hesitation I hear?" The glare she tossed his way made Matt laugh nervously, but it didn't take long for him to recover. "Of course not! The fearless leader of the Saints wouldn't dare cower before a spectral menace!"

"Yeah, I'm just quaking in my boots over here."

"You do look a little nervous over there," Shaundi teased. "Don't tell me you believe, boss."

"Look, I don't believe in ghosts. Not one bit, but there are just some things you don't fuck around with! Even if it's a dime-store Ouija board."

"It's worth more than that," Matt grumbled.

"But it's still making a collect call to things that are better left up to their own devices. Fun as it might be to disrupt their day with a prank or two, I'm not too keen on that."

"Yo, might want to kick the lights back up then."

V elbowed Gat in the side and sat back in her chair. "Just saying."

"Can we just get this over with?" Kinzie reached for the token in the center of the board and touched the edge. "There's a Blackjack deck with my name on it, and I doubt whatever spirits you've called have anything worthwhile to share."

Glowering, Matt reached out to touch the token, followed by Shaundi, and Johnny. V waited, flicking her eyes between the disk and them, until she noticed they were watching her back. Then relented, sighing heavily before touching it as well.

"Tell us O board, what secrets shall you share today?" he asked. "Sordid tales of the past? The present? The future? Of those gathered around, or of those far, far away?"

Nothing happened as they all sat there over the token, and Matt gestured towards them.

"Ask it something! Anything."

"Tell me," Shaundi started, "is our fearless God-Emperor having fun right now?"

V gave her a pointed look, and replied drily once the token shifted to 'No', "I've been found out. Whatever will I do?"

"You know, I went easy on that one. I could've gone and asked, 'who will tame your wild heart?'"

Choking on her answer, she heard Johnny laugh beside her. But the token was shifting. "Hey, hey! That's not a valid question!"

"It's totally a valid question."

"Seriously, can you just-"

It stopped on J and her breath caught in her lungs. She turned her head to gaze at him, and found herself caught. Even when his stare met hers.

"Uh, guys?"

That's when she noticed the shifting of the token. It landed on E, making both she and Johnny frown, but it didn't stop. Just kept moving from letter to letter, and she withdrew her hand. One by one they all did, until the only the token was left to spell out the rest of its message, and the sight was enough to make her hair stand on end.

"Jez…ebel?" V didn't take her eyes off of it, and swallowed against the nervousness building in her throat. "That's awfully specific."

A roar cut through the air, and she felt a large force open up around her, making her grab desperately for the table. Searing heat threatened to envelop her as hats and plates flew past her head, and it only took a second for her grip to finally give way.

* * *

The burning portal blinked out of existence just as Johnny's hand clamped down where V's used to be. Cold ran through him. Settled right in his veins as he watched the wisp of smoke dissipate, and spun on his heel. "What the fuck just happened?"

"I don't know. The boards aren't supposed to be…"

Gat's attention fell right on Matt, and he moved forward to grab him by the lapel of his suit. "Where did you get it?"

"The board? It was just…it was in storage! Tucked away before we unearthed it. It was harmless, or was supposed to be. How was I supposed to know it would actually have supernatural capabilities?"

"Because you eat that shit up, that's why!"

"It's laughing at us."

Matt flinched, and Johnny let him go, joining Kinzie and Shaundi as they stared down at the board. The token flew between two letters, H and A, and when it didn't slow, his vision went red.

He stepped back, drew his gun, and leveled it at the board. "Where is she?"

The board kept on laughing. Laughing, and laughing with no sign of stopping.

"You want to start this shit?" He fired, putting two smoking holes into the board, and the table beneath it. "You won't finish it. Now, let's do this again. Where is she?"

The disk slotted back into place, but this time when it moved to H, it didn't skip to A after. It went from H straight to E, then L.

"Hell?" Shaundi traded a nervous look with him and Kinzie. "There's no way."

"Fuck it. If it says it's Hell, it's Hell. And if that's where V is, that's where I'm going."

Kinzie raised her eyebrows. "Going? You're going to force this to open the portal again so you can jump inside of it? Even knowing it may or may not open again? You can't do that alone."

"I don't think you heard me."

"I did, and I'm telling you that I'm going with you."

"No. You're not."

"I am, and-"

The room burst into noise, and Kinzie fought to raise her voice above it. "Do you want to come back?"

Johnny's mouth settled into a hard line.

"You do, don't you? You're going to need someone to tap into the coordinates linking this location, and wherever they took the boss. Whatever force this is using might not be enough, and once you get there it could cut off completely. You would need to find another energy source, or exit. Maybe even another board. I can do that."

"You're not the only one," Shaundi said, cutting in.

"I can also do that, all while having the proper background in occult elements and paraphernalia. You're far from proficient or familiar in the dark arts-" Matt huffed, but Kinzie raised her hand.

"I'm not going to sit here and have you lecture me over the mechanics behind a board sold in most stores as a gag gift. No. It's passable, but we need someone to keep the line open here too. So spend more time with the board if you have to, but you're not going. …And it's my birthday," she stated, after a beat. "We wouldn't be in this mess if the boss hadn't gone all out to begin with."

"You think she was the one that came up with that? The party, mostly, and the cake too, but that?" Pierce shook his head. "Yeah, no, I distinctly remember her shying away from that shit when it was brought out."

"Hey, I said I was sorry-"

"Which is great, but we're still short a boss, because you thought it'd be fun to mess around with a spirit board. You don't need to see half of the movies on that subject to know it's bad news."

"Most of the time they're harmless, Pierce, but this would be an active one. Shouldn't have gone on the nostalgia trip. Really should've skipped it," Shaundi muttered, rubbing her temples before turning towards Johnny. "But seriously, where does that leave us? You're telling us all to stay here and wait for you. To let you run off when you know damn well we should all be there."

"Been there, done that," Johnny said. "We're not all marching into a portal without figuring out more of this shit. You lose me? Fine, that's one person. All of you too? Fuck that."

"But who knows what kind of resistance you'll find on the other side!" Asha argued. You'll be alone, with no option to change that."

He shrugged. "Figured I'd do what comes naturally."

"Pardon if I paraphrase it, but 'blow a big fucking hole in them' might not be the best way to handle things, yeah? Especially if you do plan on bringing the boss back in one piece."

"Nah, it's a pretty great way to do things." Clenching his jaw tight for ten seconds, Gat took in a deep breath, and told himself to stop pacing in a damn circle. It wasn't helping V, and it wasn't helping him make any progress in burning off the tension running through his veins. "Anyway, this ain't up for debate. We need people to hold down the fort, and there's no one better."

Shaundi traded a glance with Pierce, whose posture was just as tense as hers, and stepped forward. "Not alone, you aren't."

"Oh, for fuck's sake."

"We need Kinzie here. Kinzie and Matt. They're the ones keeping this place up and running, so there's no damn reason why either should leave. We need something tampered with down there, I'm not half-bad with tech, so if there's something weird going on over there I should be able to cover it. I also know my way around some of this."

"This, as in supernatural shit?"

She sighed. "I had a friend or two that thought lighting black candles was the next best thing, and we dabbled in some stuff here and there. Even tried to summon a spirit or two, but the best we got was a handful of consonants, and a garbled yes, when we asked if it liked to party."

"Party…?" Both of Matt's eyebrows went up.

"We were fifteen, and stoned out of our minds, so yes. Party. But that's beside the point," Shaundi said, turning her attention back to Gat. "Take me. You know she wouldn't want you out there without having your back covered. Not even for a damn second, so let me. Since she can't."

She was pleading with him. Dangerously close to it, and he unclenched his jaw. He gave Shaundi a short nod. "All right, all right. Lay off with the eyes already. You're in."

Her shoulders slumped as she heaved a sigh of relief. One that he wasn't feeling, but he forced himself to try and tap into it anyway.

"Pierce."

Pierce's arms were crossed in front of him, and his gaze followed Gat as he got King's attention as well.

"Yo, you too, King. Think you can manage this?"

Ben heaved a weary sigh. "Just go get the playa back. We'll cover it from here."

"Also, watch it over there," Pierce threw out. "Asha's right. No telling what kinda shit's waiting, so try not to light the whole place up. Can't exactly rush in to back you up this time around."

Johnny chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. I got this." He felt a small slap to his arm, and gave Shaundi a grin. "We got this."

Striding back over to the board, he aimed his gun at it again, and rapped the table with his knuckles. "Wake up. We need a destination."

The centerpiece jumped to action, spelling out the same four-letter word it had given them earlier.

"Yeah, yeah, I got that. We need a door. Now." He gave the table another tap, and a current ran through the room. It made his hair stand on end, like the moment before a lightning strike, and light filled the room.

Searing heat came through the gate, as the air flowed into the confined space, and he took a moment to let his eyes adjust. Even behind the dark lenses the flash had threatened to blind him, and he lowered the arm he'd thrown up to shield himself.

Then leapt. It seemed like the right thing to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Words were flowing out of V's mouth. Numbers of them, all jumbled and incoherent as she fell to the floor. The texture beneath her fingers was soft, and as she kept on crawling, she tried to raise herself up. Nausea hit, and she felt to the ground again.

She'd never been one for motion sickness, but this felt too close to what the damn time machine hit them all with whenever they fucked around, and now she wasn't sure where she was. Just that she had the plushest of carpets cushioning her, and the surrounding area was filled with halls and decorations that would've had a goth kid squealing in delight.

Once her breathing relaxed, she started to register movement. Booted feet approached her, and she was hefted to her feet. Jerking in their hold, she couldn't shake off the grip they had on her, and she started when the glint in their eyes didn't fade. Or the horns, and sharp pointy teeth.

"Holy hell," she muttered. "Uh, nice teeth there, pal."

The figure hissed, and she made a face. Whatever planet she'd just been booted to was certainly not a tranquil or happy one, judging from the locals.

"You know what? We didn't start off on the right foot, so why don't you and your lovely friend here" – the one on her right growled, and V pasted a grin onto her face – "set me down, and we'll start things off with a hearty handshake. Just a real bonding moment as a gesture of respect between our two races. I mean it."

The doors in front of her opened, and V let her words trail off at the sound of laughter. "I do believe you're mistaken."

The figure that strode in towered above her, his horns spiraling off of his head, and that's when it hit. An itch to break free, lash out, and run, irrational as it was, because something was wrong. Horribly wrong, and that's when she really began to study her surroundings.

"Hmm, confused, are you?" he asked, his voice booming.

Her eyes shifted from the floor, to the statues, to those surrounding her, to him. "About what, bossman? I mean, you're the boss, right?" The number of ornaments he had on made her think of fucking Zinyak. "I mean, bosses either get large hats, or horns, and you're definitely rocking the second."

"And you've inherited your own small galactic empire, if word serves me properly. That's no small feat for a person such as yourself."

The smile he gave her was fanged, and it was at that point that the niggling feeling picking at her finally let her spell out exactly what he resembled. A good old-fashioned devil, the kind you'd see in movies and games. A major one. The realization made a cold sweat spread out over her.

"Please. I understand that I may intimidate some. My reputation doesn't always allow for diplomatic approaches. Being the dark lord of Hell can make things complicated."

"Hell?" The word rolled across her tongue, as she processed the rest of his sentence, and barked out a short laugh. One that kept on going, as her heart rate quickened. "Hell? Yeah, with digs like this, this place is certified hellish. Tell me that's not crushed velvet."

"Do you not believe me?" The smile he wore widened, and she felt the grip on her tighten. "I could go through all the traditional means of greeting, but I was hoping we could quickly move beyond that. Perhaps a better demonstration is in order? Or would it be too much to ask for you to take the word of your future in-law?"

"Bullshit."

"No, none at all," he replied, and the creatures holding her hissed again.

Staring at him blankly, she felt her lips move as she took in the symbols surrounding them. The same ones she recognized, but refused to believe in.

And the dread that hit in full was cold. Cold, and numbing as her knees buckled, and they let her collapse back onto the floor.

* * *

The fiery walls surrounding them gave way to darkness. Johnny was spinning, falling as he kept on going, and he couldn't tell up from down.

The darkness opened up, leading to a glowing orange light, and he raised his arms. Tried to shield himself as the heat kept on surrounding them. The world flashed, blinding him, and the ground below rushed up to meet him.

He hit it with a solid thud, the angle uncomfortable, but not fatal as it knocked the air out of him. But seconds later, he heard a scream. He opened his arms in the nick of time, keeping Shaundi from slamming into the same spot.

She scrambled to right herself as he felt the air get knocked out of him again, and her head snapped towards him. "Johnny? Johnny, are you-"

"I'm fine. This ain't nothing. You?"

"Yeah, I'm okay." She scanned the ground beneath them, and frowned. "What is this? Etching? I think we're in the middle of a teleporter."

"That your scientific opinion?"

"We're here, aren't we?" She brushed her bangs out of her eyes, and glanced up. "Could've dropped up anywhere, but it had to pick here."

Something glinted above them, and he rolled them to the side just in time to avoid the pinwheeling spirit board. It hit the ground with a loud slap, and bounced before coming to a rest. Shaundi stared at it in horror for a long minute, before switching back to him. "Shit."

"Fucking great." He climbed to his feet, and Shaundi followed suit. "Let me guess. This thing had just enough juice to get us here?"

"I don't know. It should, but…I don't think we're going anywhere else with this kind of damage." Lifting it up by the corner, she turned it over, before handing it off to Johnny. "Wherever here is." She swallowed hard, and her eyes went wide as she took it all in. "Oh, God. This is…" Shaundi coughed, and pounded a fist against her chest. "Please say this isn't what it's supposed to be."

He took in a deep breath, and resisted the urge to hack it back out. "Ah, this is what they warned us about. Eh, fucking textbook." The board fell a few feet away from them, and when they approached it, he noticed a deep crack – in addition to the bullet holes he'd already riddled it with. The thing had been sucked in along with them, effectively shutting them in. "Great. Always wanted to go someplace hot for vacation."

"Not even funny, Johnny," Shaundi laughed, but the sound was weak. "We're stuck?"

"For now. Don't know if this goes both ways, but it don't seem to be talking now."

"At least it's not laughing anymore. It took a moment for her to recover enough to join him, and the two stared out over the charred landscape.

Buildings, some as tall as skyscrapers stretched upwards, while on the ground cars screeched across the pavement. The heat was high. Far worse than what Stilwater threw at them, but not intolerable. It was another curveball that the place was determined to lob at them, and he almost missed Shaundi's next words. He barely heard them over the dull roar in his ears.

"This is fucking unreal on every level. What this is. Or seems to be."

He snapped the board over his knee, and tossed it. "Eh, whatever. Onto plan B. Which is still plan A."

"Find her, and get out of here?"

Gat gave her a small shrug. "Yeah. Mine ain't as short, but close enough." Checking the area around them, the platform seemed to feed into a nearby road. Dusty, but clear, the two followed it with their eyes until it led to the buildings jutting up towards the sky.

"Sure there'll even be someone to throttle by the time you find her? ….I kid with her a lot, but there's no guarantee she didn't try to take the face off of whatever snatched her the moment she was able to."

"Ah, that would be a sight. Pissed off, and impatient, and the first thing out of her mouth is what took you so long?"

"She wouldn't."

The smirk he wore went sharp. "Oh, she fucking would."

He scanned the buildings again, and that's when he noticed it. He blinked hard, certain he was imagining it, but it remained. For a split second he let the idea in that this was a second simulation. Another place designed to bring back old memories, but shook it off. Unclenched his fists, as he took in the dark building reaching high, but never as high as it wanted to be, and wasn't sure he wanted to believe it.

"You see that?"

He raised his chin and Shaundi followed his line of sight. "Ultor. I know they've got connections all over the globe, but this is getting ridiculous. Still, if there was a place for them to be..."

"Yeah, they would be fucking here. No better place."

Shaundi mulled it over for a few seconds, and frowned. "It couldn't have been them, could it? I know we haven't been the best people to work with over the years, but for the boss to piss them off enough for them to kidnap and take her to Hell?"

"Or whatever place this is. Don't matter. We've got a place to go, and they'll have answers."

"Johnny, hey, wait a minute!"

He was down the hill before Shaundi could catch up, set on seeing how quick he could reach the bottom. They needed a car if they were going to get around here, and the locals shuffling around below seemed to be using them. He thought it'd be easier to gauge what they were moving around with up close. He was right and wrong.

They were people once. The being he bumped into on his way down was nothing short of a husk. Dried out and withered, only to fall to dust at the slightest touch. The hair on the back of his neck prickled as he tried to tune out the moans, and spotted a car with two out of its three doors still attached.

After that it was only a matter of doing what came naturally.

The thing behind the wheel took the hit better than he expected, cracking it across the face only to have it stare dully at him before being chucked onto the street. The gesture it threw had Johnny flipping it off in turn as Shaundi clambered into the passenger seat, and once she was in, he slammed his foot down onto the gas. The car lurched forward, and Shaundi's hand shot straight to the grab handle above her door.

There weren't many signs to read where they were. Most were charred, or set on sending them in a shape vaguely resembling a knot before Johnny spiraled off onto another road. The fact that there were roads to navigate at all was a fucking blessing, but there was no guarantee this was the right one.

"Is there a sunroof in this?" Shaundi glanced up at the singed ceiling, and tried to yank the cover open. "Come on." It took a few tries, but it popped open and she brushed the glass pieces and dirt that fell off of her.

"Gonna get a better look out there?" Gat nailed the sharp turn onto the road that he guessed led to the highway, and caught her nod.

"Yeah. If we spot the building, at least we'll be able to orient ourselves from there."

Johnny eased off on the gas as she stood and poked her head out, only to have her duck back in seconds later. He hit the brakes and swerved to avoid the red thing with wings crossing the street. "Fucking A. You okay?"

Shaundi let out a breath, and nodded. "Let me get back to you on that," she replied, hoisting herself up. He couldn't keep an eye on her and the road much as he wanted to, but it didn't take her long to set herself back down.

"You see it?"

"Yeah. It's further into the mainland, so provided this road's the right one, we'll drive by it." She poked her head up again just as he merged onto the highway, and when she sat down, she wore a smile. "It'll be as straight a shot as we'll get. Can't do much better than that."

Johnny pressed the gas to the floor, and they flew.

The buildings grew denser as they made their way further downtown. Stretching towards the sky, they threatened to block it out, climbing as high as they could manage. None matched Ultor, however, and following Shaundi's guidance, they soon found themselves roaring towards the building's ground floor.

The car skidded to a halt on the sidewalk, and Shaundi slowly breathed in and out before reaching for her seatbelt. He hadn't even bothered with his, climbing out to head straight for the front doors to the building, his gun raised.

They nearly flew off their hinges due to the force of the gunshot. The glass pane wasn't as fortunate, shattering inward as they kept up their approach. He didn't pause for anything as he climbed through the new entrance, and after scanning the lobby, turned towards Shaundi. "Can you believe this shit? Burned out buildings and this's untouched."

"Well, was untouched." She cracked a grin as she looked around, and waved him towards the elevators. "Come on. Looks like this floor's empty."

The doors slid shut, and he punched the button for the top floor. Everything was perfect. Down to the polished metal, and the repetitive tunes that kept on looping. It could've been lifted from his mind. Just like the simulation.

His jaw flexed, and he let out a breath. His eyes flicked towards Shaundi when he heard tapping. She stopped when she noticed his raised eyebrow.

"Sorry. Just trying to sort through what might happen if it's Dane in there."

"No need."

She rolled her eyes. "I know. Two to the head, but only after he gives us something on the boss, but… God, I thought we were done with that level of smug."

"Close, but we're getting there." He tensed when they came to a stop, and tried to shrug the tension off. "Think V'll be pissed if I borrow her window trick?"

"Hardly. More proud, if anything."

"Ready?"

She nodded, and when the doors opened, hefted her GDHC as she approached the large desk. A husk was tapping away at their keyboard, and lifted its head.

"Where's your boss?" Shaundi hissed.

It gave a half-hearted growl, slumping its shoulders.

"Don't even," she replied, keeping her gun steady. "You call him up, ring us in, do whatever you need to to make it clear we're not going anywhere. Because we're not taking a number."

It gestured towards the large set of doors.

This set wasn't as easy to kick open, so Johnny settled for shoving them open with as much force as he could muster. They gave with a mighty creak, shifting across the marble floor, and opened into an office that Johnny hadn't seen in years.

He hadn't been there when V had charged up there before, only catching the aftermath after she all but crashed a chopper into it, but this was untouched. Every logo and statue that they'd torn down from the place was hanging proudly, almost as if they never were to begin with. On the other end of the dark marble floor was an empty desk. One that bore a placard detailing exactly who it belonged to.

Johnny approached it slowly, gun out, and scanned the room. Shaundi swept the opposite side, her own weapon raised. Gat glanced over his shoulder, back towards the doors, and chuckled. "Been a while."

"Not long enough if you ask me," Dane replied, his arms folded in front of him. Both of them trained their weapons on him as he walked towards them slowly, and stopped a good ten feet away. "But this…this is a surprise. Now, you two are neither dead nor in the process of dying. I know this place's drawn a lot of admirers over the years, but I don't think that's what drew you here. I've got some ideas, but that's not one of them."

"Oh? I bet you fucking do," Johnny said, moving forward.

Dane flinched when he came almost nose-to-nose with the barrel of his gun, but didn't drop the smug look. "Huh."

"Where is she?"

"What?"

He looked surprised, and Johnny cocked his gun. "You heard me the first time. We head down here after V gets snatched only to see this fucking building, and yeah, it's been a while, but we weren't exactly on the best of terms the last time we saw each other."

"She threw me out of a window. After hitting two or three of the different levels of the building on the way down, I really wanted to share that experience with the guy we hired to design it. Best doesn't even begin to describe it. But…great as it would be to see how Ms. Former President's been holding up in the interim, no. I had no hand in taking her."

"None?"

"None. But if you'd cease the theatrics," Dane said, tapping the side of Johnny's gun, "maybe I could help you find the right person to aim that at."

Out of the corner of his eye, Johnny saw Shaundi glance towards him. She didn't lower her handgun, but her finger slipped away from the trigger. "I really hate to say it, but I think he's telling the truth."

"For real?"

Johnny raised an eyebrow, and Shaundi sighed deeply. "Yeah."

Watching them both, Dane waited until their guns were lowered to adjust his tie. "Well, now that we're all finally on the same page, maybe we can get down to business. So, how did you end up down here to begin with? You skipped the traditional way."

"Spirit board. It made a collect call here and we hitched a ride."

"Huh. Talk about old-fashioned. Effective, but old-fashioned." Dane approached the large set of windows, and turned back towards them. "But you two aren't here to listen to me talk all day, are you? You're here for this."

A slip of black paper materialized in his hand, and Johnny squinted at it as he tried to decipher the words. "The hell is that? An invitation?"

"Of sorts. I could go into the finer details of that, but that's what my assistant's for. Much as I'd love to sit out and exposit for you while handing out fetch quests, running Hell - or better yet, our cozy corner of it - is no easy task. Time is money, and down here we have nothing but time."

Moving towards them, he spun them both around and began to shoo them back to the double-doors.

"The fuck…?"

"Hey!"

"Not that you won't have another friendly face to deal with, but this one should be near and dear to your heart. And I'm a sucker for reunions. They can be real tearjerkers." Depositing them outside, he gestured down the hall past the reception desk. "Take a left here and head straight down the hall. Go through those doors, and you'll have your answers."

The doors slammed shut, and they looked towards the receptionist. It simply pointed down the same way Dane had.

"Well," Shaundi huffed, "I guess that's where we're going next. I hope this isn't the start of one elaborate runaround."

Johnny hoped it wasn't either. Time wasn't something they could waste, and as they approached the doors, he shoved them open.

It was another dark room, but the computers at the center flashed bright. Lines of red and orange streaked across the shapeless background, forming complex shapes in the air that looked better at place on a series of blueprints. They walked towards them slowly, and it wasn't until they were close that the lines went from abstract to familiar.

"That's this building, isn't it?" Shaundi traced a finger along one set of lines, and followed them all the way around. "The entire downtown, or wherever this is. All of Hell's there to look at with the flick of a wrist."

"It takes a little more than that, but you've got the right idea."

He knew that voice. Knew it well, even after going years without hearing it. _You never do forget old friends, he_ thought, but enemies?

Dex earned a place in that category the moment he'd tried to put a bullet in V's head. Directly or indirectly, it was on him, and Gat had sworn that if he'd ever seen him again, he'd pay him the same courtesy.

But now, with Dex standing across the room from them, he had that chance. Couldn't even fucking believe he was faced with that chance.

The doors groaned as Dex shut them behind him, and gave them both a steady glance. "Don't think this reunion's going to draw the tears Vogel's hoping for. Or you. But that could change fast, knowing you."

Gat's gun was up when he crossed the room, set and cocked. In a second it was pressing against the underside of Dex's jaw, and his teeth were clenched tight enough to hurt. "You motherfucking sack of shit. Didn't do enough of this shit in life not to come crawling back to it here, huh?"

"First off, fuck you," Dex said, sneering. "Second, there's a reason we're able to have this conversation right now. You make do. As Dane's so fond of saying, Hell's what you make of it. You dream big, you might just get that chance to be big. And even if that means I get to forward orders back and forth like a glorified PA, better that than resembling one of the baked-out bodies lining the foundation of this place. Been there, done that."

Johnny's finger was on the trigger, a hair from setting it off, but Dex held his gaze.

"So? You want to blow my fucking head off? Do it. That won't bring you any closer to V, or the one holding her. You want to piss someone off? He's the ticket."

"Who?"

"Let me go, and maybe I'll get around to telling you."

The gun pressed hard into Dex's neck, more than enough to cause anyone pain, but he barely flinched. Just stayed on the edge of snarling as his eyes flashed. Johnny shoved him back, and kept his weapon up.

Shaundi kept hers on him as well, and Dex smoothed out his vest as he watched them closely. "Better?"

"Better."

"So share. Who's after her? A demon?"

"Plenty of demons here, but it'd take a hell of a lot for a minor one to even open a gate to your plane."

"All right," Shaundi conceded, "then a higher level one. Talk."

Dex jabbed a thumb up. "Aim higher."

"Higher?"

"About as high as you can possibly go."

"…No. You're fucking kidding. Please tell me you're kidding." Shaundi pressed her hands to her temples when all she received from Dex was a flat look. "This is the part where V says she's seen this before, because that's the only way I'm going to be able to believe it."

"That he's real? Or that she's being held by Satan?"

"God, he's fucking serious," she muttered.

"And he's serious enough about your boss to want to set her up in a perfect match. Sounds like a hell of a party in the making."

"Match?" Gat passed his eyes over Shaundi – who was still muttering under her breath about devils – and turned to face Dex. "Like a wedding?"

"You got it. He's apparently been on the hunt for someone perfect for his daughter, and V happened to catch his eye. Girl's got some luck, I'm telling you."

His gun went up again, and what was left of Dex's smile faded away. "Where?"

"Johnny. Do you honestly think you can just walk in there and take her?"

"I was figuring I'd put two in his head first, but yeah. Just that."

Shaundi groaned. "This is one of V's shitty movies, and somehow we're caught in it. Because you cannot be suggesting we put two in the devil and call it good."

"I'll probably punch him in the fucking face too, but yeah. Works out perfectly."

"You want to put the hurting on him that bad," Dex said, reaching into the inner pocket of his suitcoat, "this is what you'll need."

The ring caught the light, moving over the material to the exact angle at which it could blind you. Johnny narrowed his eyes, but only for a second. "Want to tell us what that is?"

"A halo. Discarded by its owner, it switched many hands here in Hell until it reached ours. Now it's our turn to pass it along."

"What's the catch?"

"Catch?" Dex held the halo up higher, and Johnny's eyes followed it. "Cause no deal's a free one, eh?"

"No. It never is."

He reached for it, but Dex shifted it out of reach. Stepping forward, he reached for it again, but this time Dex didn't jerk it away. His fingers closed around it, and a tingling sensation ran down his arm. Like a low hum right before the sharp pain of a static shock.

A slow smile crept onto Dex's face. "Aren't you going to ask?"

He felt Shaundi's eyes boring into him as they stood there, but he didn't budge. "No point."

"So it seems. Think she'd agree with you?"

"She'd have already punched the hell out of you for wasting her fucking time. Do it."

Dex chuckled, and the halo went white-hot. By the time Shaundi's hand closed around it by his, it was already too late to protest.

He blinked, and pain wracked his body. Made his vision go red, white, then dark.

* * *

Every touch, every breath hurt. It seared Shaundi's skin, ran through every inch of her, and she felt ready to collapse. Her stomach roiled, as she doubled over, and struggled to stay on her feet.

Light flashed, and heat ran down her arm and side, branding her. The glow persisted, hanging on as she tightly closed her eyes, but something else swelled with it. A rush of euphoria, and fire in her veins.

She felt powerful. Like she was capable of anything, and the feeling ebbed away as her vision cleared. Around her neck was a small ring, hanging from a chain. It wasn't what she would've envisioned a halo to be at all, but it matched the one now hanging from Johnny's neck as well.

The burning told her exactly what she needed to know as she pulled her sleeve back, showing symbols etched into her skin. The same decorated Johnny, running down his side and leg. He was winded just like her, but recovered in the blink of an eye.

But stretching out from his back were a set of wings. The tips glowed like embers, and Shaundi couldn't stop staring at them. "Wings?"

"Wings. You've got a nice set yourself."

She shifted, and the strange weight on her back moved with her. Her wings swept forward so she could see that faint glow, and she was in awe.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Shaundi stared at Dex, and he watched the two of them, almost intrigued by their reactions. "That halo's from the fallen one, and guaranteed to be your key to wreaking as much havoc as possible."

It did feel good, but kept fading, the sensation falling into the background as she adjusted to it. As the feeling receded, the glowing of the mark did as well, and Shaundi traced her fingers over it as she examined it closely.

"Before that happens, however, there's one thing to run over. Namely, how the hell all of it works." He gestured towards the large windows behind him. "Ready to find out?"

* * *

Dex didn't mince words when he gave them the instructions. The energy running through them now was a part of them now, and was ready to kick in at a moment's notice. They stood at the top of the building, hot currents of air whipping at them, and were given a simple command.

Jump, and if you choose to call them, the wings will come. When they got the hang of it, Dex would meet them at the bottom. Shaundi stared down at the lava flowing beneath her and steeled herself.

"Shaundi."

The mark burned again, flaring up, and she looked straight ahead.

"Oh, you ain't talking to me now?"

"Did you really expect me to stand there while you took this on? Alone?"

"No, but I'll live with this shit if it backfires on me."

"And I won't?" She chanced a look his way. "Oh, right. Because you've got a monopoly on making stupid decisions. Completely slipped my mind," she spat. Gat pressed his lips into a flat line, and she stood up straight. Then doubled over. "God, that fucking smarts."

"Shaundi."

"Don't. I'm not here to talk you down, or hold you back. I'm here to help, remember? Just…give me a little warning before the next choice, okay?" Her hand hovered over the marks branded onto her – much like the ones seared into his own skin – and she grit her teeth before righting herself. "Cause I'd really rather not start collecting curses like cards here."

She jumped before he could say anything else.

A long time ago she used to dream about flying. About soaring far above the trees, and over everything. Watching the ground pass under her now was too close to one of those dreams. She flapped them to gain speed as she turned, and laughed as she spun. It was exhilarating, and she never wanted to touch down.

Still, she had to. They both did. She caught sight of Johnny, just a beat behind her, and angled herself towards the ground.

When they touched down on the street however, it was in the presence of an old, familiar face. Or rather, two. Viola and Kiki Dewynter flanked Dex, both looking more or less as they did in life. At least until her eyes settled on the black horns snaking through their hair. What also threw her for a second was their choice in clothes. It was like walking into a time warp as she took in the outfits they wore on the day they all first met, and she approached them tentatively. "Viola."

"Hi." Her voice carried a reverberation that Dex's didn't. "Surprised? The feeling's mutual. Though with talk of a coup, I had no idea we'd be seeking outside sources."

Gat shrugged. "You want to go big, you go big. Though, I don't think they snatched the boss with that in mind."

Viola pressed her lips into a thin line, with Kiki shortly following suit. "No. Word is Satan has another purpose for her," Kiki said, moving her eyes between them both. "That's a political marriage with some clout. Leader of an intergalactic empire, and the daughter of the devil joined in holy matrimony. You can almost hear the bells now."

"Bells? I'm surprised we aren't hearing a hail of gunshots instead. She never was subtle. I doubt she'd be accommodating now."

That earned a scowl from Johnny. "No, she's not. Any word on potential reasons why?"

"We're supposed to have been busy with security detail. With a wedding this important, Satan's been wanting to make sure nothing can ruin his little girl's day."

 _Security?_

Dex noticed Shaundi's raised eyebrow and spoke up. "These two are part of the largest security details down here."

"Were."

"Fine. You're independent, but the facts don't change. It didn't take either of you long at all to find your niche, and make it work in your favor. Hell's a system. You find your place and embrace it."

"That's putting it simply, but you're right," Viola said, giving him a small nod. "Everyone has a purpose here. And after seeing the alternative firsthand, it's not as hard of a choice as you'd think."

The statement was cold, and at once too much like the Viola she had worked with closely, and not at all. V would've given her hell if she had been there, and Shaundi found herself tempted to do the same.

Gat sneered. "Fucking A. Both of you are really set on parroting the same shit that came out of Vogel's mouth. And I don't see why you think it'll get through on the second or third try. You want to justify this shit, fine. But work that on your own time."

The frown Shaundi wore deepened, but faded the moment Johnny looked her way. "Yeah. You know why we're here."

"So, give it to us straight. Why isn't this place shot to hell yet?"

"You want the truth?" Viola asked, meeting his stare. "She's probably still adjusting to the change in location. It's not easy the first time you learn that Hell's an actual locale, and not a cautionary tale meant to keep kids in line."

"People. You've got people on her?" Shaundi asked, stepping forward. "Tell them to get her the hell out of there!"

"It's not that simple. It could be, but the plan would fall flat shortly after being put in motion."

Kiki turned the small tablet in her hands towards them, and tapped the surface. The old set of electronic plans changed to a set of blueprints, this time of a large spire. "Security's at an all-time high. With the amount of attention on her right now, she wouldn't get twenty feet out of there without being caught again.

"But that's where you two come in," Dex said, pointing at them. "Like Vogel said, raise enough hell on the outside, and they'll be scattered to the winds. That kind of an opening will let you get in there and get out without a fight.

"And if you're looking for targets, a good place to hit right now would be here."

Kiki tapped the tablet, and an entire district lit up. A few landmarks stood out like sore thumbs, though from where Shaundi was standing, she could make out something vaguely resembling a ferris wheel, and another like a roller coaster.

"Is that a boardwalk?"

"Somewhat. The entertainment district's one that is often barely in control, and as a result wouldn't take much pushing to turn into total chaos."

"So, you're serious about that. Us tearing up the place?"

"We're in an odd business. That of building and rebuilding. You see, if we remain undisturbed, we funnel the business. If things break, we fix them. Either way we find some way of squeezing a buck or two out of this, with the added bonus of giving the boss some shit to sort through. So, yes. We're very serious, to the point that I'm going to encourage all of it. Speaking of which, I think you two have some shit to stir up."

Dex tapped his watch. "Can't idle too much now, can we?"


	3. Chapter 3

The Entertainment District.

Viola described the place as one that was reminiscent of Genki's old show, and after seeing Genkibowl firsthand, she wasn't far off. It took on a major upgrade from the looks of things, and the screaming ferris wheel – aptly called the High Fryer - made Shaundi cut her eyes away before the passengers hit the boiling oil pooled below it.

Her head pounded still. The pulse of energy wasn't ringing in her ears anymore, but there was still that sense of 'wrongness'. That what was running through her now shouldn't be there to begin with, and her gut wasn't wrong. But even the discomfort started to ease, and taking off the second or third time to soar through the air came with a surge of adrenaline that sang in her veins, and she didn't deny it. It felt good. Liberating in a variety of ways, and they had hardly tapped into the things Dex had only bothered to hint at.

But could it be trusted? The same question extended to their newly formed ragtag crew as well. There was a reason no one bothered to drop Dex's name in the middle of polite conversation – Johnny had all but reinforced that fact by nearly strangling Dex shortly after seeing him again – but she hadn't been ready for Viola. Even stepping up as their ally, she'd gone and allied herself with the big man in charge, and it left a bitter taste in Shaundi's mouth.

 _And it's not over, is it?_ She was lying to herself if she even tried to deny the fact that she was going to run into more familiar faces before their time here was done, but that wouldn't be until later. When the boss was back with them, and swearing up a storm when she wasn't asking Johnny to flap his wings again. And she would. V would ask both of them before reaching out to try and touch the feathers, and the idea put a smile on her face before she forced herself to focus again.

Until then, she had these strange as hell powers to work through, while also fighting to keep up with Johnny's pace. The degree to which he'd taken to this was high, even for him, and she had to concentrate on the beating of her wings to match his speed. Getting separated wasn't a good idea, even with the halo giving them a link to communicate through, she wasn't ready to break line of sight of him. Not here, of all places.

 _Hey!_ she shouted, testing it out. _Do I really need to go back over the whole 'you and me handling this' bit, involves 'you and me'?_

 _What? Don't tell me you're feeling worn out already. We've barely tested this shit._

She laughed, and a part of her was glad that he didn't cut his speed to wait for her. _In case you haven't checked, I've been on your ass this entire time. Just thought I'd give you a heads up on that._

He turned and shrugged, before spinning into a smooth dip. She met his speed – with her middle finger raised - and scanned the surroundings below them again. For a second she couldn't shake it. Stilwater's Marina came to mind, even with the awful din going on below, but she doubted she'd be able to score a blunt and a hotdog.

Not that she was looking right now. No, she had an itch to send what little order existed here into straight chaos, and there was only one way to do that.

She angled towards the ground. The pavement came quickly, but her wings flared, and she came to a screaming stop as she touched down. The force cracked the concrete, but she felt none of the pain that should've come with the impact. Only the power thrumming through her as her heart pounded, and by the time Johnny landed beside her, the alarm had been raised. Large figures closed in, the horns on their heads coiling upwards, and she didn't need to see the guns to know what they were about to do.

What the creatures in question didn't know about them, however, they were about to learn.

Johnny's shotgun went off, blowing two of them off of their feet. A second after, Shaundi snapped a shot off with her Hell-brand GDHC, and made quick work of the devils moving in to take the fallen's place.

When bullets didn't do the trick, she smashed her weapon into their faces instead, pistol-whipping them as she made her way through. Every hit made her charge into the next, and once she was able to reload, she wasn't even bothering to keep her distance. She lashed out, feeling the mark respond in turn, and nearly took the head off of the nearest devil with a well-aimed punch.

They didn't bleed on contact, however. There was a flash, and the strike made them crumble to ash, sending it swirling around them. The mark seared her arm as she spun on the next in line, putting a bullet right into their forehead before raising her hand, and willed the power to come to her. To gather in her palm so she could whip it at them.

It burned for a few seconds, but she broke her concentration to leap to the side. Bullets riddled the spot, missing her by seconds as her shoes skidded across the pavement. The wings spread around her, giving her an added boost before blinking out of existence, and she rolled into a position that gave her just the kind of aim she needed.

She raised her gun, just in time to see the slash of a black knife. In seconds, ash flew, and the devil had no chance to see who or what had taken him apart. Only the dust on Johnny's knives remained.

He looked her over quickly, but after her firm nod the two leapt back into it, gunfire blazing in their wake. By the time the last devil met its end through a clean shot to the temple, she was breathing hard and pressing a hand to her forearm. A dull pulse ran through the mark as the glow faded, and her nails dug into her skin even when the pulse ebbed.

"You okay?"

She drew her hand away. Johnny's concern made her bristle under it, but only because her pride was still smarting. "I'm fine."

He kept on watching her, but stopped when her attention drifted to his mark. His marks burned bright, and his tightly clenched fist immediately put her on alert. "Sure I shouldn't be asking you that?"

"It's nothing. Looks worse than it is."

He unclenched his fist, shaking his hand out, but she still eyed him skeptically.

 _Any luck?_

Shaundi glanced around on reflex, and heard him chuckle. "…Dex?"

 _Think that communication only went two ways? Dane also has a line in, but he won't use it. He's too busy going over the newest additions to Ultor's southern division._

"Southern?"

 _We're talking deep south. Almost makes this place look friendly._

"At least warn us next time," she said, shuddering. "Random voices coming out of nowhere aren't exactly the kind of thing you want to hear when you're trying to avoid devils, demons, and the like."

 _I'll keep that in mind. So, no errant playwrights to be found there? You'd think in a place labeled the Entertainment District it wouldn't be too hard to find a stage to be on._

"You're the one going on about time. We ain't playing."

Dex laughed. I'm not trying to fool you.

"Like hell you aren't. You know. Have known since we landed here. Now why don't you cut the shit and point us in the right direction before we decide to make a detour or two?"

"Hey."

The two turned in the direction of the voice, only to see a worker at a hot dog cart. A worker with long red dreadlocks and a bright green visor. "You might wanna hit the Tempest up over there. Music's alright, but the management's run the place into the ground ever since they gave it to Will."

Shaundi's jaw dropped. "Tobias. Oh, God."

"Small world, eh?" Tobias walked toward Johnny and gave him a fistbump. "But you two are a sight for sore eyes."

"Found your thing here?" Johnny asked, gesturing towards the cart.

"Beats fraud any day. Lee's got a talent."

"Lee's here too?"

"Yeah, and he's still got the legal system doing his thing. He helped me make a deal to set Laura up behind the pearly gates. She had a spot already, but…if you're gonna be up there, might as well make it as cushy as possible."

"Shit. Sorry about that, man."

"Eh. She's good, so I'm good. And this isn't half-bad."

"I can see that." He took a bite out of the hot dog, and Shaundi made a face when the food actually moved. "Oh, God. It's wriggling."

"You get used to it. Sides, when you're getting ready for Vipers game, nothing goes with it better. You going into the club? Will's spinning the old turntables as we speak. Getting down. Say, you two take him out, how about we hit up Tacos Malos once you're done? Been itching for a real meal."

 _I'd pass and avoid those at all costs, if you can. People get lured in all the time for the combo deals and pay for it. It's one of our more lucrative businesses, though. People keep on coming back over and over. Must be the special sauce._

Shaundi gagged, but the moment she caught Gat's contemplative expression, she elbowed him hard. "What?"

"Tell me you're not considering it!"

"Hey, when you want a fucking taco, you get a fucking taco."

 _Anyway, I see you've found more company. Familiar company._

Johnny's playful smile faded. "Surprised you remember."

 _It's not easy to forget a crazy motherfucker like Tobias. He was a damn good dealer, though. Got our product moving, and kept it moving once we worked out an agreement. I'd heard he'd linked up with the Saints again after V woke up, but after that nothing. It was almost surprising._

"Kept a lot of tabs on us then?"

 _Enough. It pays to keep an ear to the ground. Just like now._ Gat muttered something under his breath, and Dex laughed. _You disagree?_

"Fuck off."

Tobias took another bite of his hot dog, and flashed them both an odd look. "You two heading in? Or just taking it easy?"

Gat nodded. "Nah, we're doing this. Still going to be here in five?"

"Yeah, man. No need to rush." He turned to the growing line of husks shuffling up to his stand, and shoved the rest of the hot dog into his mouth before addressing them with a muffled phrase. "Business's been picking up lately."

 _Just remember,_ Dex started as Shaundi followed Johnny into the club, _if given the chance, Shakespeare's going to tailor the story to his own means. Whether or not the narrative's going to suit the setting's up in the air, but…we'll see how much twisting he'll pull._

The thumping bass picked up, and Shaundi took one last look behind them. Then slipped through the sliding glass doors.

* * *

The music rattled the glass, pounding hard enough that Johnny could feel it in his bones. It almost made his head hurt, reminding him of the music that used to run through the simulation. The endless loops ran through the same rhythm over and over, only stopping whenever the Saints chose to disrupt it.

This one wasn't the same, but it was close. Too close. It continued to pick at him as they moved up the staircase into the main room, and with every beat he wanted to work that much faster to bring the place down.

Husks swayed close to the railing on the upper level while others tried to dance below. Staring over the edge of the railing, they spotted the dance floor, barely visible with the strobe lights blinking repeatedly.

He felt a tap on his arm, and turned to Shaundi. "Look, over there!" she yelled.

Across the gap was a booth lit by candles alone, and standing there was a figure in full Shakespearean dress. Which made sense considering the subject, but here it looked nothing short of ridiculous.

William Shakespeare kept on spinning as they watched, but soon raised both of his arms as the room went bright.

A spotlight hit them, and even with Johnny's shades on, it threatened to blind him.

 _"Welcome!"_ he greeted, through the speakers. _"Both of you have taken the first steps on this incredible journey, a brave feat in and of itself! However, you have found yourselves here, ready to brave the Tempest. What shall the bard do now?"_

"The bard?" Shaundi kept her hand raised, and twisted her mouth.

 _"A test? A way to see if the will of our heroes is strong enough to endure this place? To reach the very goal they were willing to journey here for? He always had a soft spot for such quests – comedies as well, but this was no laughing matter. This was noble, and an immense risk to themselves."_ Shakespeare's hair curled, resembling a set of horns, and the lights in the club cut out. _"But is their mettle as strong as their resolve?"_

The bass hit as the strobes came back on, and Johnny barely had time to react before the demons were on them. He punched the first before diving for the next, sending them both tumbling over the railing. The demon crumbled upon impact with the dance floor, and he reached for their discarded weapon. It was empty, but far from useless.

 _"The bard admired them in a way, diving into danger for a friend. To stand firm by the ties of loyalty and friendship tying them."_

His wings appeared as he dashed forward, cracking the butt against a devil's nose. Its head flew back and Johnny crouched low before jumping up. He felt the bullets whiz by, some even striking, but the pain was dulled by every flare of the wings carrying him.

Gunfire echoed overhead, and he glanced up to see Shaundi move from one end of the level to the next. She had it covered, no problem, and with that set, he focused on grabbing the nearest demon and pitching them towards the DJ booth. They hit the glass, making cracks spiral across, but it didn't give.

 _"Does the bard dare to see this challenge, through?"_ Shakespeare asked, his voice booming over the dance floor.

Johnny shoved his knife through the throat of the demon before him, and jerked it out, narrowly avoiding a thrown table. "Oh, you're not getting out of this."

Leaping high, he set himself down in front of Shakespeare's booth. The music was blaring in his ears now, and felt like it was ready to split his head in two. The mark sent a jolt of pain through him, but glowed warm as he drew back his fist.

The glass shattered, raining down onto Gat as he moved into the space, and felt it crunch under his boots. "Yo, you want to get that?"

"Get what?"

"The music. Kinda hard to pontificate over all of that shit, eh?"

Shakespeare watched him closely, the dark sclera of his eyes making it tough to tell what he was looking at specifically, but reached over and the music cut off.

"Thanks." Johnny reached for the podium, feeling his fingers tear through the floor as he uprooted it. Then threw it to the side with a roar, where it smashed through what was left of the glass.

The man behind it stepped back to avoid being clipped, but didn't budge further. Just stared at Johnny somberly. "Is this how the test concludes? Through poetry of the basest kind?"

Stalking forward, Gat slowed his pace, and rolled his shoulders. Then cracked his fist against Shakespeare's jaw. The Archduke went down like a sack of bricks. "Eh, I've always been more of a beat poet anyway." He shoved him over onto his back, and planted his boot on Shakespeare's windpipe. "So, what was that shit you saying earlier? About having a soft spot for…?"

"Q…quests."

"And?"

He increased the pressure and heard a cough. "The bard always favored comedies."

"Figures. I was just thinking this was kinda funny myself." His boot stayed right where it was, placing more than enough force on him to keep him on the edge. When Shaundi landed beside him, Gat watched Shakespeare's eyes shift to her. "Yo. Finished cleaning up?"

"Mostly. I'm really wishing we had a giant bug zapper right about now. It'd be better than seeing how well we can cleanly shoot these things out of the air. Any luck?"

"No. I'm thinking old Bill here's just playing us. Cause he's finding a whole hell of a lot of this funny for some reason."

"Oh, really?"

She cocked her gun, and Shakespeare raised his voice. "An addendum is needed. For the bard does have information to give if you both would deign to hear it."

"You deigning?" Johnny asked, keeping the pressure up.

Shaundi wrinkled her nose. "Fine. We'll give him five."

He took his boot off of him, and Shakespeare quickly got to his feet. He brushed off the dust, and bowed before them. "The bard extends his thanks."

"Whatever. Now about this quest shit?"

"It is a noble endeavor. One worth pursuing, though the bard wonders just what difficulties await these two heroes. What challenges line the path ahead? The price might be too great, but what are they willing to give? Tis their choice to make."

"Look," Johnny said, keeping him from continuing, "cut this shit, my patience is fucking gone."

"So he says – the man who dares to challenge all that would stand before him - but there's so much to tell. So much that both of our heroes are unaware of, and should be before they continue their journey." He held up his hands, and swept them out to his sides. "If allowed, the bard promised to share what he could. For both he and they could stand to benefit from such an exchange."

Johnny tensed, but he didn't reach for his gun or knives. It was a trade. One that could prove useful, but they were never made without a price. "How?"

"You see, the dark lord of Hell has few things that he cherishes greatly. His empire and his only daughter. Both are legacies that will live on when his name is naught but a memory. However, while one has been molded and shaped to be the very thing man quakes upon hearing, the other is set on a path independent of his choosing."

"Independent." Shaundi traded a look with Johnny, and she eyed the crouched figure skeptically. "She's resisting? All of this?"

"Indeed she is, and this could not have come at a more critical time. Forces were being summoned, tested even. Whoever was willing to stand with Hell and fight for it was sought, and before long what was once a loyal few, became a vast army. All gathering with the purpose of lashing out against those that put them there."

He pointed up, and Johnny scoffed. "Heaven? They want to aim at that?"

"Yes. They plan to invade and take it for themselves through whatever means possible."

"But how would you know this?"

"You see, the bard wasn't always accustomed to spinning tales in this fashion. No, his former role was one he used to cherish greatly. Spymaster to one, and tutor and guide to another. However, his position was ended the moment the dark lord began to question the guidance being given. How the bard's ideas were fanciful, and naïve, none of them befitting for a future ruler of Hell. So he was cast out once more, left to remain here."

The bitterness was surprising, but telling. "Not your kinda thing, eh?"

"No, far from it. A stage may very well be a stage, but every person has one best suited to them." Shakespeare's frown grew deeper. "And for Jezebel, the throne is far from it."

He inclined his head, and Johnny snorted. "Dex, you get that?"

 _Most. I knew there was trouble in paradise, but this changes things. Helps us too._

"So, you didn't already know?"

Dex went silent, and Johnny listened for him, wondering if he'd chosen to hang up _. It's…this is something that's going to do a lot of damage if it's allowed to happen. Satan's already been gathering people up, but I don't think this is going to throw off your previous plan too much either._

"What do you mean?"

 _Because disrupting the natural order could be just the thing to work in our favor. Keep him distracted, and maybe we'll be able to stop both a war and a wedding. Sound reasonable?_

"More than enough," Shaundi said. "But what's our next step?"

 _Get Tobias. Not that I wasn't expecting you two not to, but if you share some of the energy from the Halo, he'll help you and then some with remodeling the place. Shouldn't take a lot, but it will drain your reserves._

"No, allow me," Shakespeare said, speaking up. He extended his hand to them, and both of their necklaces glowed. "The power flowing through him may not be great, but it can still be of use."

Johnny closed his eyes as he absorbed it, feeling it sink into his bones, and grinned. "Thanks. What's next for you? Sticking around here?"

"Possibly. There's still business to be had here, though a play may be a nice change of pace. Something to pass the time while chaos rains down upon the district. But that is irrelevant. Our part of the tale has concluded, and now it is time to enter the next act."

He bowed once more, this time leaving his head low.

"And dealing with it will be no small matter. Not even for individuals such as yourselves."

* * *

She lost count of the circuits she made around the small enclosed space.

Pacing around, over and over, V made one more trip around, both of her hands buried in her hair and tugged hard. "Breathe. In and out. In. And out."

The next to last breath shuddered. Made her cough, as her chest tensed, and slammed the palm of her hand against the wall. Kept on hitting it over and over, switching to hard kicks when her knuckles split.

Winded, she pressed her forehead to the glass, and sighed.

Hurting herself wasn't going to get her anywhere. Thinking too much wasn't going to get her anywhere. But all she had was this place. This small, enclosed space with no way to see beyond it. No idea what was coming, or what was waiting.

No, that wasn't completely true. She knew what was coming, and still could barely stomach it. A wedding to the devil's one and only little girl. The devil. Her skin pulled taut across her knuckles and she dug her teeth into her lip.

 _"A history like yours has never been absent of conflict. Of the struggle to assert, and reclaim what was once yours. Though violent and chaotic means, of course. Some of the best that I've ever seen."_

 _"It's a perfect match."_

The bottom of her fist hit the glass, and she winced. Touching her fingers to her lip, she backed away from the wall and resumed pacing.

"Think, think, think. There's got to be some way out of here. Some hole in their security they're not covering. Failing that, there's got to be some way to punch a big-ass hole in it."

The light that traveled through the crystal flickered, and she came to a dead stop. Someone was out there. V could see their shape refracted across the surface of the crystal and she slapped her palms against it.

"Hey! Hey, you! Whoever the fuck you are! Can you hear me? Can you hear a single damn word coming out of my-" The surface in front of her became translucent, and V sputtered. "…Mouth?"

The girl staring back at her instantly recoiled.

V blinked at her, and slowly drew in a breath through her nose. That's when she noticed the horns, and…ruffles. "Um. I'm just going to take a stab at this, but you wouldn't happen to be Jezebel, would you?"

She turned her head, eyeing V warily, but gave her a small wave.

"Fuck." V pushed away from the wall. "I don't believe this. I don't fucking believe this."

"Hello? You know I can hear you now, right?"

"Okay, okay. Forgive me if expected more sharp teeth and spiraling horns, and I don't know. Fire-belching," V said, coming right back to the same spot. "But since you're the lady in question, I guess you've already got a decent idea of why I might be pacing around and mumbling shit to myself."

"Mostly." Jezebel frowned, though it came dangerously close to a pout

"…Mostly?" That didn't quite click, and V's incredulous look made Jezebel shift on her feet. "You want to expand on that, hon?"

"Well, you are my betrothed. Or supposed to be the person I'm betrothed to."

"B…betrothed? Oh, Jesus."

"Yes, but this isn't like the stories. Where two people, madly in love promise themselves to one another. Surrounded by roses and candles as music plays softly and sweetly in the background, the two would join hands and sing in a duet, the kind the world has never heard before!"

She started singing, the sound high, but pretty, and V waved at her to get her to stop. "Whoa, wait a sec. I mean, I'm pretty damn sure you'd be a kickass karaoke partner, but I don't know. Not about this, or you. You don't know me at all."

Jezebel wrapped her arms around herself and looked away.

"This? All of this is just a shitty idea."

The girl didn't respond, but V saw her nod. That stunned her silent in an instant.

"Jezebel?" She looked V's way, her eyes wide, but the voice called out again. "My dear, are you in here?"

The doors opened to reveal none other the horned asshole himself. He strode over to Jezebel, towering over both her and V, and gave her a reproachful look.

"Well," V said, drawing his attention, "if it isn't King Shit of Fuck Mountain."

"Ah, so profane. I would call it a breath of fresh air, but it's far from the worst insult ever leveled at me." V flashed him both birds, and he sighed before turning to Jezebel. "Now, now, my dear. Why don't we attend to more important matters? There's no need to linger here."

Jezebel turned to leave, and V slapped her hands against the glass. "Hey! Hey, please! Please don't go! You can do something about this, get him to let me out, anything!"

The surface of the crystal clouded before going opaque again, and she punched it hard, barely stifling a sob.

* * *

Gat took one long look behind him, and let out a fond sigh. "Ah, I missed this."

He watched Shaundi angle her head to glance back at the Entertainment district, catching the exact moment that the careening ferris wheel smashed into what was left of the club, and raised her eyebrows. "Which part?"

"Getting out's one thing, but Tobias had a way with this kind of shit."

She grinned. "He did. Scored some of the best weed around too, and don't get me started on the brownies he'd whip up. It's just…great, but shitty at the same time to run into him like this. And the others too."

"Yeah." He dipped in the air, soaring back up when he caught the hotter currents, but his eyes lingered on her for a few more seconds.

"It's...it's not bad if I hope he's the last one, is it? It's bad enough knowing that they're gone, but the possibility of seeing everyone again? Here? I don't want to know."

Neither did he.

Shaundi picked up speed, putting some distance between them, and Johnny felt his mouth twist. Flapping to keep up, he pushed forward, and the whistling sound registered a second too late. He tried to bank to his right, but the rush of force glanced him and went off.

He slammed into the side of a nearby building, bursting through the brick until he tumbled to a stop. Letting out a puff of air, he coughed on the dust before reaching up to adjust his sunglasses, and propped himself up on a knee. The glancing blow hadn't had a chance to seriously injure him, but the pain running up his back throbbed as he regained his bearings.

Once he did, he threw himself at the closest threat, tearing into it with as much gunfire as possible.

Johnny snagged a nearby demon, and pulled them close. It took a few seconds for the dull pain throbbing through his arm to connect itself to the dark claws he was digging into them, and he shoved them away.

His blood pounded, pulsed as he moved, and he couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop.

A flash went off by him, throwing him for a second, before connecting it to Shaundi. Lobbing fire, she was running through the lines of devils, shattering them when she wasn't lighting them up, and he picked off any that were lucky enough to escape her.

When it ended, it was all too soon. He stomped down on the last soldier, digging in his heel before straightening his posture, and inhaled and exhaled slowly.

"Still a force of fucking nature, eh?"

Shaundi froze in place before turning towards the voice, and Johnny followed her gaze.

The suit held up the cigarette to the blaze located by him – left behind from the fireball Gat chucked – and waited, before turning towards them. It caught, and he watched as Troy raised it to his lips. "Hey."

Even after seeing the others, he still had to take a moment to assess this. To see if what he was catching wasn't some elaborate trick, but if it was, it was a damn good one.

Flicking the ashes off of tip of the cig, Troy puffed away with a rueful smile on his face. "Wasn't sure at first who was lighting Hell up, but now? Guess some things never change."

Johnny began to approach him, catching speed with each step. Troy's calm held, but the smile didn't. Not when Gat stopped more than close enough to put his hands on him if necessary.

"Johnny-"

He didn't think it over. Just connected with the rush, and let his fist fly. It connected with Troy's cheek – making Shaundi yell – and sent him to the ground. The brand glowed, flashing red, but it didn't sear him further. Instead it fed right into him, fueling the anger that only kept on growing.

He stood there, watching Troy – or the thing set on masquerading as him – and waited. Waited for him to shift into something closer to the demons they'd mowed down to get here, but he didn't. He kept up the lie, and that made him want to swing again even harder. "Set on waiting until this shit was done, huh? Of waiting in the dark for the right fucking moment?"

Troy coughed, and spat out blood, but didn't raise his head. "Is that what you think?"

"Save it," Gat snarled, his jaw set. "I just had to mop this shit up before you'd even think showing your fucking face, so I don't want to hear two words out of you."

"I never meant that." Troy glanced up, blood staining his once-perfect suit, and ran over his face before climbing to his feet. The discarded cigarette went with him, pinched between two of his bloody fingers, and returned it to his mouth without even bothering to blink.

"So? What did you mean?" he heard Shaundi ask.

Troy took a long drag and let the smoke out between his lips slowly. "Ever think you caught me by surprise too? Not my fault you came charging in ready to murder everything in sight. The creatures on patrol aren't too friendly to begin with, but provoke them and anything's on the menu."

"Anything?" Gat watched the bruise form on Troy's face, and took one step closer. "You telling me you're not on it?"

"Course I am. But this time around, I was lucky. They found something better to distract them first. And you were ready for a fight, so…it worked out." The cig burned, and smoke mingled with his next words. "Now tell me. The fuck are you doing here? You're not dead."

His eyes swept over them both, lingering on the glowing marks, and only made Johnny's scowl more pronounced. "Don't know yet? Thought Vogel gave all of you a collect call the minute we dropped in."

"No. Thought the reason we didn't mingle was painfully obvious. The hell are you talking to him for?"

Shaundi sighed. "The Ultor building was the first thing we saw when arrived here. Vogel's Vogel. If anyone knows how this place ticks, it's him. If he wants to profit off of any of this, he's going to stay informed as to what's going on."

"Okay, fine. I'll give you that. But why are you here at all?"

"Wedding bells are ringing. That horned motherfucker's marrying his daughter off."

Troy eyed him, then laughed. "You've gotta be kidding me. A wedding?"

"Not just any wedding, though." Shaundi said, watching them closely. "Somehow he got it in his head that a fine match for his daughter was the boss. We followed him here, and now we're working on doing anything possible to keep that wedding from happening."

The moment V's name left her mouth, Troy's face went blank. "Say that again."

"V's here," Gat repeated. "And she's the one getting hitched. That registering for you now?"

The embers on the end of Troy's cigarette blazed. It kept on burning until Troy was left flicking ashes to the ground. "Yeah."

"Yeah?" Johnny's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fist tight. "That's it?"

"Have you seen her since you've been here? Heard anything? Do you even know where he's keeping her?" Troy asked, ignoring him. His eyes were almost black now, and didn't leave either of them. "He's going to keep her under lock and key if he knows you followed her, and after all of this? He's got to know."

"I hope so."

"You hope so? You fucking hope so? Do you have any idea what's coming out of your mouth right now? How that could blow back and hurt more people than just yourself?"

He moved forward, and that's when Shaundi cut in. "Hey, just stop. Both of you!" She pushed Troy back, but turned just as harsh a stare on him as well. "This is not the time. Not even close. No, we haven't seen her. The asshole locked her up the moment he brought her here. At least, as far as we've guessed."

Troy shifted his gaze to Shaundi. "The tower?"

"It has to be. You know it makes sense. It's an awful idea in a lot of ways, but we have the means to cause a lot of damage. And if he's doing what we think he's doing, this is going to be the only way to stop him, while also getting his attention."

"So your grand plan boils down to wrecking shit until Satan'll let you get close enough to punch him in the face?"

Johnny pushed Shaundi's hand away. "What is this, talk in fucking circles day? First Dex, then you."

"Well, if anyone's going to call you on your shit, Dex's going to take the first snipe. Not too surprised about that. …The fact that you're working with him and Dane's another story."

Shaundi spoke fast, "Fine, you want a reason? There's a war going on. We think Satan's preparing for a major fight. The kind that could bring this place to Heaven's doors, and we don't want that. We don't want V dragged into any of it either, but if she's married to Jezebel's her life's forfeit. So, yes. We're desperate, and we want V back. Isn't that something you can get behind, even a little?"

Troy glanced between the two of them again, and gave them a rueful smile.

A low sound picked up, increasing in volume as they stood there, and soon enough Shaundi responded as well. She glanced up at him, and quickly moved to a better vantage point, her gun up.

He checked his own gun – still gleaming in spite of the shit he'd already put it through – and was ready to follow her when he spotted Troy.

"Yo, you fucking hold it!"

Troy stopped, already a few paces away from them, and Gat had half a mind to close that gap.

"After hearing that you turn your back and leave? Like it's fucking nothing?"

"You want my help? Fine. You've got it." The grin that slid onto Troy's face was cold, and stayed that way. "Might want to deal with that first, though."

The next explosion was close enough to blow out the far wall of the floor they were standing on, and Johnny swept his gun towards the point of impact. Demons circled the spot just out of sight, and he heard Shaundi swear as she crossed to meet them.

"Fucking A. Guess we missed a few strays after all. Just park it until we're done and we can go over our next-"

He lowered his gun, but the moment his attention moved over the empty spot where Troy once stood, he wished he hadn't.


	4. Chapter 4

Jezebel rapped her knuckles on the frame of the doorway, and swallowed the lump growing her throat, before clearing it. "Father?"

The room was empty of all but her father and one of his cloaked advisors, and the look he wore was grim. "Yes, Jezebel?"

"Could we talk? Just for a second?"

"Darling, you understand that I'm busy putting this together? You still need a dress for the ceremony, and we haven't even settled the matter of the caterer."

"I know. There's a lot to sign off on, but I really need to talk to you. Please?"

He paused, his expression often one that he wore preceding a lecture, but when he sighed she nearly sobbed with relief. "All right." He turned back to the cloaked figure and said, "Tell the others that we will postpone the mobilization for now."

It nodded, and made its way towards the exit, flowing across the ground without even coming into contact with it. Jezebel tried not to shiver when it passed her, but the sensation was impossible to resist.

Once they were alone, her father gave her his full attention. "Now, what is it, Jezebel?"

"Look, um, when you first brought this up, I wasn't expecting you take it so seriously."

"This? Do you mean the wedding?"

"Yes," she replied, and tried not to falter under the weight of his stare. "It's something that's been on my mind for a while, but I didn't think…I assumed it was going to be a while from now still."

"Time is short, even here. As my successor it's something that needs to be settled before you take the throne, and I want to ensure that your future is a safe and secure one."

"Dad, please. We've already been over this. More than once."

"I don't believe we have," he interrupted. "Every time I've tried to talk about your succession the topic quickly changes. And now, with it so close, it appears that the same is happening again. Tell me, my dear, you do want to get married?"

"Yes, I want to get married, be happy, and fall in love, but…this? I don't even know them! I don't even know if I want this!"

"Becoming an adult means accepting the responsibilities that are expected of you. Regardless of your own feelings on the subject. Hell needs a ruler suited to it. Unyielding and willing to do what must be needed."

"That's not me, dad," she replied, the words tumbling out as fast as she could say them. "You know that! I don't like this, any of it. The cruelty, suffering, it's…it's not right, and I'm not right for any of it!"

"Then you will learn," he insisted, his tone rising in volume. "You will learn and grow into the role as intended. To assert yourself like any ruler would. And if it doesn't come easily to you, then let your spouse guide you. There was a reason I chose them for you, my daughter. Some traits are inherited, and others must be learned."

"But father-!"

"You will learn. There is nothing you can do or say to change that fact."

There was no trace of kindness or sympathy left in his gaze, no matter how much she pleaded. Even now, as she was on the edge of begging.

"It was a mistake to isolate you. To protect and shield you from all of this, when this is as much a part of you as it is me."

She gripped her skirt, and tried to stop the burning in her chest. The tears however, weren't as easy, but she tried.

"Now, was there anything else that you needed, my dear? I have important business to get to, and you have plans to formalize."

Jezebel was on the edge of running when the idea hit. It made her tears still completely. "…Yes, actually."

* * *

"Dex!" Johnny's voice snarled his name, as he paced in place and Shaundi's nerves jumped into overdrive. "You fucking knew! You fucking knew, didn't you?"

 _Knew what? About Troy? Well, yeah. I knew about him. What of it?_

"Doesn't that fall under shit we need to know?"

 _No. Not need. Prefer to know, maybe. But it wasn't necessary._

"Oh, so it's completely left to your choice then? To decide who's worthy of us knowing about, while others are left to fucking rot?"

 _If you think we have a direct line on who's present-_

Johnny dove into the last of the demons scrambling to escape, and took a potshot at one Shaundi shoved towards him. "Do you?"

 _Direct? No. That list goes through one figure, and one alone. Did we still know about him and the others? Yes. You keep your ear to the ground and you're bound to hear something. Not that it's any consolation._

Shaundi planted her heel on the throat of the devil below her, and planted a bullet right between its eyes. "It isn't."

 _I didn't think so. Old friends or not, there are some places you don't want to see familiar faces. You've been here a fraction of the time we have, and you know this. But he won't be the last._

Another demon's head slammed into the wall, all but obliterating both in the process, and Johnny let it fall. He didn't stop moving, however. His fist went through another part of the wall a second later, and Shaundi saw his wings appear. Fanning them out, he crouched low, and she couldn't stop him in time.

"Hey! Johnny!"

He shot up into the air, and no amount of yelling on her end got him to slow down.

"Hold on!"

Readying herself, she took off, and almost immediately came to a screeching halt when Dex spoke up. _Would you hear me out if I told you to let him go?_

"I'm not the right person to make a sympathetic bid for," she ground out.

 _I'm not trying to. But at times like this, it's better for him to burn this off. It'll let him keep his head later once we get into the heavier details of the plan._

Turning it over in her head, she knew Dex had a point, but that didn't mean she had to like it. "Fine. But if he's not back in an hour or two, I'm hunting him down. With or without your fucking approval."

 _Fair enough._

Pacing in one spot didn't help, but it did keep her moving, and after checking her gun for the third time, she let out a sound of frustration, and told herself to ease off of the energy she was tapping into. Her marks weren't glowing anymore, but she could sense it somehow. Stress and worry worked the same way – and both were currently in overdrive – but the itch to let it out with a blast, or a punch that would've broken her hand in any other situation wasn't normal.

The remaining bodies disintegrated, crumbling to ash as she walked over, and she crouched to examine one of the dropped weapons.

 _I wasn't sure how many of your people you would find down here._

"They were yours too." He went silent, and she found herself glaring skyward. "Just as much."

 _At one point, yeah. They were. Wouldn't have argued with you at all._

"But you are now?" She put the shotgun away and shook her hands out, willing to do anything to lose the tension. "I don't think the boss would've-"

 _Isn't it a little late to think of maybes now? And V's better off not knowing that I'm involved in any of this. She used up whatever mercy she had reserved for me years ago. There's none left._

Shaundi remembered the way the boss had looked when she'd come through the doors of the HQ, bloodied and bandaged, and tired. She had dropped Dex's name the next day, leading to a search that left them all scrambling to decide where to focus their next move, but with Dane still alive, they had agreed to go after him first. Dex was long gone by the time Gryphon positioned himself as the next in line.

But years later, when the boss had the resources, it would've been too easy. It should've been.

Dust blew across the concrete as she scrubbed at a smear of blood on her sleeve. The symbols glowed through a scorched part of it, and she swiped at them as well.

 _Come on back. Johnny'll join us, but for now, we've got an army to go over._

* * *

There wasn't any point to pacing anymore. V had done the same circuit over and over until her head threatened to spin. Shadows crossed the surface outside periodically, all of them ignoring her yells and the sounds of her pounding.

She didn't think it would work, but no cracks or signs of breaking were present. Not even chipping at the crystal with the knife in her pocket helped. She worked at it for what seemed like hours until a haphazard scratch nearly made her take a finger off.

So, she slumped against the side, sliding down to the ground as she squeezed her eyes shut. In a few minutes she'd be ready to give it another try, but for now, she was done. She was going to close her eyes and count to a fucking hundred.

Around forty she heard a voice. One that was loud enough to stop her from hitting the back of her skull in time with the numbers leaving her mouth.

"Hello?"

V perked up. "Jezebel?"

The surface went clear again, and she was greeted by the same girl from earlier. This time, however, her smile was bright, and she glanced over her shoulder before turning back to face V. "Okay! This shouldn't take much to do…!"

She snapped her fingers, and V scrambled to catch herself as the wall behind her vanished. Instead, she smacked her head, grumbling loudly, "Ow! Smooth. Real fucking smooth, V."

Jezebel ran straight to her side. "I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking it would kick in that quick!"

"Oh, forget it, kid. I'll be fine. It's more of my pride, anyway." She sat up, and when Jezebel reached out to help her, she took her hands. "Um, thanks. Seriously. I think I was on the edge of losing it in there. You can only stare at one surface for so long before needing a change of pace, you know?"

"After a few hours alone in my room I get antsy, so I can relate. But that's in a place with more than five feet to move around in. And with chairs and places to sleep."

V moved towards the large couch nearby and flopped down. The soft cushions were heavenly, and she let out a sigh of relief. "Eh, your dad didn't seem set on making this a cushy stay. No mini-fridge, no complimentary chocolates. Nada. I wouldn't worry too much about it." She ran a hand through her hair, and paused when Jezebel held out a small white tin. "Hmm?"

"Here. For your hands."

"Huh?" V withdrew her hand, and immediately caught the blood. The knick had drawn more than intended, but paired with the dried blood on her knuckles, she could see why Jezebel had spoken up. "Aw, don't worry about it. They sting, but I can deal. It's all small cuts and bruises anyway."

"Please." She held out the tin again, this time pairing it with an insistent look.

V blinked at her for a few seconds, but when Jezebel didn't drop it or walk away, she offered her a smile and took it. "Thanks."

"I know you said they don't hurt, but it looks like they do."

"Surface wounds are ugly looking. And after punching a few people your hands aren't going to be pretty either. But people aren't made of gemstones, so it was a pretty shitty idea to punch that. Probably for the best I didn't try to headbutt the damn thing." Jezebel sat down on the couch next to her as she took out the gauze and alcohol wipes, and tried not to wince when V ripped one open and swiped it over the cut. "Speaking of darling dad, he's not going to get pissed about this, is he?"

"No, I went over it with him first. How if I was going to get married to someone, it made sense for me to get to know them first. Through actual conversation face-to-face instead of what he's decided to tell me."

"Huh. Makes sense."

Jezebel shrugged, but didn't hide her grin. "I thought so. I know I've done it already, but I want to apologize again. For father."

"For him being a massive d-bag?" She finished wiping her knuckles clean, and sucked in a breath as she rode out the faint burn of the alcohol. "Doubt you can do much to fix that, hon. But if you're taking requests, I've got a few that might send his blood pressure through the roof. If you're interested in that kind of thing."

Jezebel watched her curiously, but the moment V mentioned that, her eyes lit up. "Like what?"

"Like cutting out of here. Just saying 'fuck it' and running." The light in Jezebel's eyes came damn close to sparkling, and V furrowed her brows. "Uh, Jez? You okay over there?"

"I'm ecstatic!" she said, bounding off of the couch. "And I was hoping you would ask, because it's been nothing but misery up here. Planning and running around without even being able to take two steps out of this place? I want to get married, but I want to see the world first! To experience things as they're supposed to be experienced! To be able to see animals, and feel the wind whirl around me, and the seasons! Oh, the seasons. It's completely magical."

V canted her head to the side. "You don't say?"

"And you. You've seen so much already, but I want that too! I want to be able to see what you've seen, do what you've done!"

V held up her hands. "Uh, wait a sec. You might want to dial it back a bit there, but I get the idea."

"And your friends! I've only heard bits and pieces about them, but Johnny and Shawn-dee have been tearing Hell apart for you! It's so, so…" She twirled in place, and sighed dreamily. "So wonderful. Like out of a movie."

"…Wait, Johnny? Shaundi? They're here?"

"They're half of the reason my dad's been so stressed lately! But yeah, they've made so secret that they're willing to do anything to find you."

V jumped right to her feet. "Okay, that changes things. You want out?"

"Yes."

"You positive?"

Jezebel whipped out a long red cape, the kind that could easily be used as a disguise. "Absolutely. I've even got a way out too."

"Well then, V said, grinning wide, "let's get this shit started."

* * *

Their walk to the elevator was surprisingly calm. Collected even. V held the cloak tight around her, and watched Jezebel press the button to the bottom floor as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Sadly, their way out wasn't even half as simple.

The first demon to approach her with the intent of ripping her hood back got the barrel of her gun to its face, and once Jezebel was aware of how bad things were getting, she broke into a run that would've earned her medals back on Earth. The two rushed to the elevator, and once they were safely inside, V went ahead and discarded the cloak.

The bottom floor was complete chaos. They burst out, V's guns blazing, and ran for the front doors.

"Go, go, go!" V yelled, blowing the head off of the demon right in front of them.

Jezebel sped out into the road, narrowly missing a careening van, while V dove to avoid a flaming Halberd. Jezebel pulled her up, and they ran straight for the alley. The hiss of gunfire was enough to keep her moving, but one glance behind her – catching a a flash of horns and eyes that glowed like embers – made her push herself all the harder.

A car screeched to a halt, and V nearly collided with it as Jezebel skirted around it. The car parked just up the sidewalk, however, looked like it was intact enough to run.

"Hey! Get in the Five-O! Just ahead," she said, gesturing Jezebel towards it with a haphazard wave of her gun.

"Five-O? Did you mean the-"

"Yes, dammit! Get in the cop car!" Spinning around, she fired off as many shots as she could before yanking open the driver's side door, and threw herself into the seat. Jezebel jumped right into the passenger seat, and V didn't wait for her door to close to floor it.

The brakes weren't responding, even as she kept on stomping on them, and gave Jezebel a panicked look before pointing at the seatbelt. "Get that on! Quick, before we-!"

Hers barely had time to click into place before the truck slammed into them, pitching the car right off balance. Squeezing her eyes shut, V felt them spin, felt every impact as the car shuddered and shook as they kept on spinning, until everything went black.

It all rushed back a moment later. Her head pounded as she coughed out the breath left in her lungs. The air burned as she tried to suck it in, and tried moving her arms. Her muscles strained, but once her vision cleared, she caught movement in the cracked rearview mirror.

 _Run. Get up and run._ Pushing her arms against gravity, she fumbled at her belt buckle and looked over at Jezebel. "Hey!" Her eyes were closed, and V's fingers slipped. "Hey! Jez? Jez!" She groaned, and V opened her mouth again only for the buckle to finally give.

She hit the mess under her, and went right for Jezebel's belt only for something to latch onto her ankle and pull. Her hands latched onto anything and everything in front of her as she gave as hard of a kick as she could manage. The grip turned into a vice, and she barely had time to yell as the next pull made her grip give.

Tossed clear of the upturned car, she rolled over and didn't give the demons time to respond. Aiming this time for their knees, she gave one a hard kick, and reached for their shotgun. …Or tried to. Her kick didn't land right, and she stumbled before having the barrel collide with her cheek. That threw off what little balance she'd regained, and by the time her vision had started to clear up, her hands had been moved behind her back and restrained. The handcuffs were cold, not enough to burn her wrists, but enough to make her immediately strain against them.

"Don't resist," one of them said, their voice distorted. "You will only hurt your odds more."

Looking around at their helmeted faces and blacked-out visors, she wasn't inclined to listen, but when they dragged a woozy Jezebel out, she stilled.

"Is she intact?"

The one carrying her didn't give a verbal response that V could translate, but when they roughly deposited Jezebel onto the ground, she dove forward. It wouldn't have been a clean tackle even if she had hit them directly, but the one she was aiming for sidestepped, and sent her face-first into the pavement.

This time the sound that came from them was familiar. Laughter was easy to translate across all species, and it made her blood boil. Glancing up at the one by her, she sneered as blood gathered in her mouth.

Then watched as he was simply blown away.

V started, rolling onto her side as one of the figures trained its gun on the remaining three and didn't stop firing until the rest were put down. V whipped her legs up to get her cuffs around them, and looked for a weapon, anything to use, and only closed her hands around the handgun nearby in time for the firing to stop.

Still, she aimed it right at them, and tried to will her hands to stop shaking.

"Get up," they said, as V turned a panicked look onto them. "Get up and get moving. We don't have any time for this!"

She didn't break eye contact as she laid there, but when she didn't move, the figure swore loudly and sifted through one of the downed soldier's gear. A set of keys hit her stomach seconds later, and she stared down at them as if they were foreign objects.

This time they didn't say anything else, just walked towards the nearest car and started the engine. Her heart pounded as she considered her options, but dropped the gun for the keys. It took a few tries to free her wrists, but once they were, she grabbed the keys and weapon, and went right to Jezebel.

Jezebel's eyes were open now as she rubbed her forehead, but quickly took V's hand when she extended it. The two then approached the car, Jezebel partially shielded by V, and when the window rolled down, she pointed her gun right at them.

The figure jabbed their thumb towards the backseat. "Get in."

Her gun stayed fixed in place.

"You two want to get out of here?" they asked, eyes flashing from the strip where she could catch them. "Then trust me and get in the fucking car!"

V faltered, trading a look with Jezebel, but the roar of engines close by had her fumbling for the door to the backseat. She'd barely hopped in after Jezebel when they sent the car flying down the road.

Taking a few potshots at the cars behind them, she managed to tag one of the demons that took flight, but soon gave up when she nearly faceplanted into the side window. Seconds ticked by, many, as she watched for the roaring trucks, and apparitions, and when Jezebel grabbed for her arm, V gave her a quick once-over. "You okay?"

"Not really, but…I'm fine." The tremors in her voice betrayed her further, but a quick scan told V that she wasn't seriously injured, and that was what counted right now. The few scratches and bruises she could see were already starting to mend – part of her heritage, V guessed. They could work on the rest later.

With that settled, she handed the keys to her, and climbed into the front passenger seat. Setting her gun on the figure again, she gestured towards their helmet. "Lose it."

"I don't think that's wise."

"I don't care. Lose the fucking thing, or you'll lose your fucking head."

They looked over towards her before putting their attention back on the road, and V repeated her order.

Their grip on the steering wheel tightened, but after turning to her again, they reached up and slid the helmet off.

Her adrenaline high had her head bobbing to and fro already, but one look at him, one long look at him, left her rocking in her seat.

Troy wasn't red. Or breathing fire, or hissing, or doing any of the things she'd come to expect from the other devils, minor and otherwise. No, he was normal. Close to it as he could be, since his hair had no hope of hiding the short, dark horns completely.

In her crueler moments she'd let herself play with the idea of this. Of searching for Troy in the old space-time continuum just to see him, even for a minute, but this? No, she didn't know what to do with this.

He stared back at her, perfect in nearly every way that mattered, and she felt sick. "Talk. And make it fucking fast, because I can't keep on coming to the conclusions I want to."

"Funny, I thought it'd be pretty straightforward."

V choked down the bile rising in her throat. His voice was rough – rough and weary – and off just enough to steady her aim. "Don't fuck with me. Not now. Not when this is the first time I've seen you since… Since knowing I was the one to get you killed, Troy."

His eyes met hers. Even now, she found herself taken with them, and wondered if they'd always been able to catch the light like this. His mouth began to twist.

"Are you real?" The question was almost silent, and she prayed she wouldn't have to repeat it.

"Yeah." He wet his lips, and swallowed hard. "I'm real. Real as I'll ever get."

The next turn nearly sent her into him, and she swore loudly. Then she wavered. Felt her voice fail before she began to blink furiously.

She punched the door once, then twice. Lowering the gun, she cut her attention towards him again, barely able to see him straight, only to slam forward into the dashboard. Her hands moved to intercept it before her face hit it, but the sharp slap rattled her.

"V!"

The scream came from Jezebel, and once V shook it off, turned towards her. Then to Troy. Both were rooted to the spot, and gaping almost.

Up ahead, in the center of the freeway was Johnny. Surrounded by the dust he'd kicked up, he spread wings made of feathers and flame, and she felt her jaw drop. Then felt her body kick into overdrive as words tumbled out.

Troy reached for her, but she was already out the door.

"Jesus, Gat," she breathed, staring over at him, "what…what happened?"

He shrugged as she approached him slowly, her hands already raised with the intent of lightly touching the glowing marks covering his arm, and froze when Troy's voice rang out.

"Hold it!"

She spun around, and stared at him. For a brief moment she wondered if it was trained on her, but no. It was fixed right on Johnny, and that fact made her blood run cold. "What are you doing?"

Troy took in a slow breath, and replied, "That's not Johnny."

"The hell are you trying to say?"

"That's not him, not even fucking close," Troy repeated, and V screamed when his gun went off.

She couldn't turn in time to see where the bullet hit, but did hear Johnny's cold laugh. "What was that? A warning shot?"

Troy's aim wavered, but didn't drop.

"Figures." She didn't have time to respond before Gat moved, grabbing her roughly. Jerking her head back by her hair, she yelped in pain, and tried to scratch at him, but he simply laughed. You still don't have the balls to take the shot when it counts."

He grinned wide, and her vision went dark.


	5. Chapter 5

He couldn't tell how much time had passed. There was no sun, no watch or clock to live by, and the fires never stopped burning. Not even for a second.

Johnny let himself soar closer to the ground, letting out a slow breath as he made his decent. It had been wise for him to cut out when he did – with Dex in his ear, and Troy standing in front of him, he couldn't keep a lid on the rage welling up – but now? He felt hollow.

Even after putting that anger to more constructive means, the kind that were guaranteed to fuck up a lot of people's days, it still crept in, and he had a decent guess why.

Flexing his hands, he flapped his wings hard, and tried to bring himself back up. He made it as far a nearby building, and grabbed the ledge of the burned out window so he could hoist himself up. He still wasn't half as high as he could be, but this spot gave him a clear enough view of the palace above.

To craft a building that put Ultor's spire to shame wasn't easy, but they did. And as of right now, there was no fucking way to crack it.

 _A laugh left him as V sputtered at the question, but when the guided disk moved to J, he couldn't help it. He looked right at her. Saw her staring over at him in wonder before their hands drifted to E._

Cracking his neck, Gat rolled his shoulders and set his feet, then ran for the edge and dove off of it. His wings beat against the air, pushing him higher and higher. Scaling the building, he kept rising. Kept pushing.

It wasn't too far. It couldn't be. Because fuck waiting.

Each beat took him closer to it. To the entrance that he could see was waiting, and he kept going. Beat, by beat, by beat. Every strip of stone he passed was one less to deal with, and he kept on marking them as he rose.

It stretched higher with every flap, every move starting to send pain lancing through him. The wound from the missile that hit him earlier hadn't completely healed yet, and he reached out to the wall, desperate, and his claws scrabbled at the stone. They caught a narrow space, hooking it long enough to make him grit his teeth before falling away.

His wings struggled to catch any available current, but couldn't beat any longer. They tried to as he fell, but only succeeded in shielding him from slamming into the only piece of land he could find in the sea of lava. He hit it with a loud thud, dismissing the wings to keep from fracturing them.

Rolling didn't keep him from landing face-down in the dirt, however. He pushed himself up, ignoring the burning of the marks running down him as he stood, but his knee gave, sending him back to the ground.

 _You done?_

Johnny huffed in as much air as he could, every breath ragged. "No. Not even fucking close."

Forcing himself to stand, he angled his head as he stood, and followed the lines of the tower again. Noting where he fell short, he felt the mark thrum against his skin – the sensation warm, then hot.

 _Thought you'd say that. You know, I've seen quite a few tries at it._

"At what? Climbing it?"

 _A few of Satan's hopefuls get it in their head that their boss's ivory tower's been sitting alone, untouched, for too long, and they go ahead and scale it. There's another, more direct route, but nothing says "Fuck you," like climbing to the very top, brick-by-brick._

He went silent, and Johnny listened for him. When he realized he was waiting for Dex to continue, he laughed under his breath. "So, how fucked were they?"

 _It varied. Some would nail the preparation step. Some made it only on sheer guts and glory alone. Others grew impatient. Wanted just to charge in through the front and do as much damage as they could on the way up._

"Tempting."

 _I'm sure it is, right up until the point Satan hands your ass back to you. Still, you have to admire them for trying. They refuse to accept that their lot's here for life._

The wind whipped by again, and Johnny finally tore his attention away from the spire.

 _Still pissed?_

"Enough."

 _Want to put that to better use?_

"Better?" he laughed, and the sound came out harsh. "Got something in mind?"

 _Get your ass back here, and we'll find something._

* * *

Troy was waiting with the others when Johnny strode in. Instead of his suit, he was wearing a uniform better suited to SWAT Team member, and couldn't stop puffing away at the cigarette in his hand. He stilled once Johnny caught his eye, and the grim look he wore made Gat stop in his tracks.

Beside him, however, was a horned girl that couldn't stop fidgeting in place. Her large eyes kept on moving around the room, but the minute Johnny entered, she ran right up to him. "You, you're Johnny, right?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"I'm sorry. V and I tried to get out, but we-"

"Whoa, wait. You and V?" he asked, staring her down. Who she was clicked a second later, and he nearly drew his gun. "You're Jezebel?"

"Yes?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong here, but you're the one getting hitched to her."

"The one that's supposed to be getting hitched to her. Trust me, neither of us are on board with that at all. I swear. She and Troy are the only reasons I'm even here right now, but…she was tricked. Father knew what he was doing and drew her back in before we could do anything."

The minute Troy's name left her mouth, Johnny looked his way. By that point his current cigarette was nothing but cinders. "I tapped into the Sinterpol channels right after running into you two, and they reported a disturbance. It didn't state it was those two outright, but anything labeled as high-priority's worth checking out, so I made my way there and found them."

"What happened?"

"Satan happened. V wouldn't have even gotten out of the car, though, if he wasn't wearing your face. He took her, and left."

Johnny clenched his teeth. "Was she all right?"

"They were involved in a pretty nasty spill before I found them, but yeah. She's okay."

The news sent a wave of relief through him, but it didn't last. The rage boiling inside of him needed an outlet, and fast. "Fucking A. So what's our play now?"

Dex let out a slow breath. "I've been thinking it over, and even though we've evened the playing field, it's still not enough. Satan's got some pretty heavy hitters at his disposal, two of which I wouldn't be surprised to find heading our way shortly."

"On clean up?"

"Sort of," Viola said, tapping a nail against her chin. "Though Vlad and Blackbeard always did have a habit of working by their own clock."

Johnny cocked his head. "You serious?"

"Yeah. Both of them have been on Satan's payroll for a while, but…wait." Dex closed his eyes as he mulled it over. "This could work for us. Because we still need a way of getting to V without charging in, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Oh." Shaundi's eyes widened, and a slow grin spread across her face. "I see where this is going."

"Good. Because I'd like to think this wouldn't be an opportunity worth missing."

"Stealing a pirate ship? Are you kidding me? What kid hasn't dreamed of that at some point? I'm there. Don't think Blackbeard's going to be too happy about anyone getting within a meter of his boat, though, let alone touching it."

"No. No reason for anyone down here to let up now, not when things are finally starting to look like they might gel. So, resistance there's going to be strong. Even if Sinterpol wasn't on high alert, he's got a flood of fliers, just the kind to turn his small cruise into a fleet."

"But he's not the only one. I remember you talking about Vlad earlier. The Impaler, right?"

"The one and only."

"We don't want any of these motherfuckers linking up. I think I got a way to keep that from happening. You hit point A, I take point B, we wreck a lot of shit, and everyone's happy."

Jezebel side-eyed him. "It's that easy?"

"Yeah, and Sinterpol's left spinning on their asses trying to figure out what to handle first. We'll weed out the rest of them, and it'll be smooth sailing up to the palace. Smooth as a fucking flying ship'll be riding these currents, but it's something." Dex studied him closely, and Johnny didn't break the stare. "You know I'm right."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Dex replied, but the corners of his mouth were edging up. "But you can't do better than this. And maybe this means we'll end the fucking pledge week. That shit's relentless once it gets going."

Looking over at Shaundi, Gat gave her a small grin. "Unless you'd like a shot at this. Been a while, but I remember you doing lots of business over at Stilwater U."

She shuddered. "Ugh, think I'll pass. I've inhaled more than enough body spray to last a lifetime, thanks. Now captain of my own ship? That's something worth chasing."

"So, it's settled. Unless anyone has any last minute objections?"

Viola shook her head, with Kiki following a beat later. Troy puffed away at his cigarette, but paused to stomp it out. "None, but if we're splitting up, we're doing it properly. No one man army shit."

"Fine. You volunteering?"

"No." Troy didn't pull another cigarette out, but couldn't stop rubbing his fingers together. "Just doing what I should've done the first time around."

* * *

The roar of the engine snagged Shaundi's attention as she waited for the twins to return. It had only been a minute, but a minute was one too many. Other cars raced by, but one easily a size-category larger than the others was roaring towards her, and came to a neat stop by the sidewalk.

The blacked-out window lowered, and Viola poked her head out. "Get in."

Shaundi looked up at the massive assault vehicle and snorted. "Really?"

"Just get in. Unless you'd like to fly us over there personally?"

"Uh, no. Not happening," she said, grabbing the side and hoisting herself up into the seats in the back. "I'm disappointed you two don't have a jet, actually."

"Whoever said we didn't?"

"What? You two just decide to put it on ice while we've been flying around…!" She fell back into the seat as Kiki hit the gas, and the vehicle roared to life. It took off down the damaged road, and in seconds was on the highway.

"You know, as ridiculous as this sounds, this takes me back," Shaundi huffed, swiping the loose strands of hair behind her ears. "Never would've guessed you two would drive alike too."

Viola kept a hand on the dash as her sister kept on upping the speed. "She taught me. Forced me onto the road when I wasn't holed up in lessons until I was confident at it. It helped. Especially since I'm the only one able to nail the turns without shredding the tires."

Kiki's attention cut to them. "Liar."

"Who paid the most in replacements?"

"Only due to construction. I always make my turns."

She jerked the wheel to keep them from being clipped by a flaming Halberd, and Shaundi yelped.

"The rubber's coming off as we speak. With each and _every_ bump and nick."

"I don't remember hearing you volunteer to drive us there, and if memory serves me right, you never did offer to do the driving if Phillipe needed us-"

It was a subtle shift, but Viola's posture went rigid.

"Really?" Viola's glare cut Shaundi's way, but that was before they all caught sight of the bus skidding in front of them. Kiki skirted it, but the angle left them tipping to the right, and Shaundi blurted out, "Okay, forget it! Forget it! Can you both just focus on the fact that we're one wrong move from pitching over the edge of the road?"

The twins glared at each other. "No."

"Oh, God. I can drive. Let me have the wheel if it's going to be this bad. Or just give it to Viola. I don't care."

Kiki pursed her lips as her attention went back to the road, and Viola crossed her arms, both now stone-faced and silent. Neither gave it to her – which didn't surprise Shaundi, but they were back to focusing on the task on hand, and she'd take that.

Shifting in her seat to steel herself against any more wild turns, Shaundi looked outside only to see the road lead to a tunnel. On both sides of the highway, magma stretched out far as they could see, and a few flying platforms indicated they were on the right track. Kiki kept the speed up as they entered the tunnel, and Shaundi tried not to say anything when she took the first and second turns hard.

The moment they exited, Shaundi slapped the back of Viola's seat. "There! Up there!"

Sailing overhead was a large boat, the bottom lined with barnacles even if it hadn't seen actual water in decades, and the three watched it until it moved out of sight.

"Get out," Shaundi said, scrambling to get her door open.

"Why? We need to go if we're going to catch up!"

"No, you asked me if we were flying before, and I changed my fucking mind."

Viola traded an unsure look with her sister, but both followed her, unbuckling their seatbelts as they stepped out. Shaundi's wings were out before they touched the ground, and walked over to them. Grabbing one of their wrists each, their confused looks quickly changed to ones of terror when she took off.

The added weight wasn't easy to manage as she flapped faster and faster to gain altitude, but once they were up, they were up, and she soared straight for the boat. It wasn't going to be an easy landing, but the main deck was clear of all but one individual, and he was standing right where a captain would.

Shaundi let go when they were close, finding a spot that would give the twins space to roll if need be, and touched down right in front of them, both of her hands burning red.

"Ah, so here be the ones causing all of the recent troubles here." Blackbeard kept the wheel steady from his spot behind the wheel, and laughed. "Delightful chaos."

"Don't know if that's what I'd call it," Shaundi said, "but it's been time well spent."

Blackbeard nodded. "Aye. My boss would disagree, but in your place, I'd be damn near proud. Shame to put a stop to any of it."

High-pitched giggling echoed all around them, and Viola let out a yell of surprise when the wooden planks below her exploded outward. Poking its head out of the hole was a small red imp, flashing sharp teeth at the three of them before leaping out.

Kiki's gunfire took it down, but two others scrambled from their hiding places to replace it. Then four more after that. They hid in the netting, the pipes, the lower deck, anywhere they could scramble from, and Shaundi couldn't fire fast enough to remove them.

One jumped onto her back, jerking her head back with a sharp tug to her ponytail, and she screamed. "Little shit!"

She clawed at it before using her wings to propel her backwards, slamming into the wall hard enough to rattle her. The imp vanished in a puff of sour smoke, and she righted herself in time to punt another off of the deck.

Blackbeard roared with laughter as they picked the imps off one by one, and by the time Shaundi had peeled another two imps off of her, she was going for the nearest net. "You two good to go?"

Viola yelled between shots, "Yeah, you do what you need to!"

Without further ado, she took flight, the net trailing behind her, and pitched it right at the man behind the wheel. It knocked him away, making the wheel spin hard to the left. The ship rocked, sinking as it started to lose altitude.

Realizing her error too late, Shaundi hit the deck and ran straight for it. Spinning it to the right, she wasn't sure how far to go, but once the boat seemed to right itself, she let it go only to nearly dodge Blackbeard's swipe. His cutlass hit the wood, then slashed upward, making Shaundi shuffle backwards to avoid it.

She rolled to the side, causing him to embed it in the railing, and scanned the boat.

A sword. Where the hell could she get a sword?

A rusted one caught her eye from the other side, and she dashed for it. Swinging it up, she intercepted him, and with a shove, put some distance between then.

"So this is how it'll be," he growled. "A duel?"

"Mutiny's not the right fit?"

"If you were part of crew, then aye, but this? This is no mutiny."

She dodged his next few strikes, clanging her sword against his and laughed. "No, this is piracy. Which only makes it fair, doesn't it?"

Viola caught her eye when the two moved closer to their position, but Shaundi shook her head. Instead, she let him back her up towards the most damaged side of the ship, the side crumbling under her feet. Her next deflection almost sent her tumbling off, but she held strong.

"So, I believe ye be cornered."

"Sort of. Though, I'd watch your own feet, Captain."

He glanced down, and Shaundi nearly rolled her eyes before bringing her knee up. He stumbled back, and one more sent him to the ground. The cutlass hit the deck, but before he could reach for it again, the tip of her blade was at his throat.

"And I'd also say to watch your ass, but it's a little late for that."

"Do you want to hear my terms?"

"Of surrender? I don't know about that." She angled her head towards Viola and Kiki. "Should we hear them?"

"Nope."

Their simultaneous refusal had Blackbeard sweating. "None? Is that how it'll be? Make me walk the plank, while you take what's mine?"

"That wasn't on the actual agenda, but…I can make an exception." She reached down and dragged him to his feet, spinning him around. "And we're missing a plank, but the side of the ship will do."

Shaundi shoved him forward, keeping her sword aimed behind him, and he glanced back at her. Then muttered something low under his breath.

"What's that?"

"I might be able to let you have her on loan."

"Might?"

The tip of Shaundi's sword jabbed between his shoulder blades, and he said loudly, "Yes, yes! And ye need crew! No one knows me ship better."

"True. So, this means you'd stay on? As loyal crew?"

"Yes."

"Because you know what's going to happen the moment you dare to mutiny against me, right?"

"Ye'll blow my head off?"

Shaundi grinned. "Couldn't have put it better myself."

* * *

It didn't take long for Blackbeard to run her through the basics. As long as the others tended to the sails, it would be a smooth trip, and one that would have them back at Ultor in no time.

Shaundi stayed with the wheel, correcting for any roughness that the air currents might have generated, and after a few minutes Viola joined her.

"Looking to share that anytime soon?"

"Funny, I don't remember you being so eager to drive earlier."

"There's a difference."

"But you never did have trouble taking the wheel from us before."

"Probably because the boss was always so eager to show us how well she had adapted to Steelport's traffic," Viola said, wrinkling her nose. "Even after a few years, I don't remember much improvement. But old habits never really change. And did you want to be caught dead in her car? I didn't."

"It wasn't that bad." Shaundi recalled the silver Emu that V adored, and cracked a smile. "Okay, maybe it was, but…I miss it. All of those ridiculous little things."

"Hmm. Even driving in that?"

"Even that."

Viola let her attention fall to the deck, and wrapped her arms around her. When she raised her eyes to Shaundi's again, Shaundi didn't press her. Just pointed towards building waiting in the distance.

"Ready?"

Viola nodded. "Ready."

* * *

Johnny flew. Troy may have had the added boost from the halo, but he didn't use it. Just stuck to an older car which threatened to fall apart as Johnny watched him overhead. Vlad's castle rose high above the ground, large spikes decorating most of the surfaces of it, and the towers placed in each corner of the property rose above the clouds surrounding it.

Streamers dangled from the edges, however. White streamers. They flapped in the wind as he climbed higher, and he followed them, curious to see how much of the castle was covered in them. Launching himself up, he landed on the edge only to be faced with a stack of cardboard rolls.

Toilet paper rolls.

"The fuck?" He picked one up, and turned it over in his hand. "Vlad decide the place needed a little color or something?"

He took off, gliding back down to the ground, and tried to find Troy's car. It didn't take long as it was currently on fire and covered in demons wearing…polo shirts. The sight grew stranger the longer he looked at it, and touching down only to hear cheers cemented the fact that he had no clue what the fuck was going on.

"Dex!"

 _What's going on?_

Johnny shot his way through three of the demons before locating Troy, and jumped forward to intercept them. "Vlad's a badass motherfucker, right? Some guy that people are supposed to fear and respect?"

 _Yes. And?_

"When you said pledge week, I wasn't expecting fucking pledge week." He slammed into the devil grappling Troy, and flipped him, sending him straight into the side of the wrecked car. "His place's trashed. I don't even think he's around here."

A bullet whizzed by Gat's head, and he snapped his attention to Troy. His gun was up and smoking. A quick glance behind him told Johnny all he needed to know, however. One dead devil was slumped on the ground behind him, and he gave Troy a curt nod.

 _You check inside yet?_

"No. We'll make it quick, but who knows where the hell he is. I thought he was good with Satan."

 _They were on professional terms, but it might've broken down over the years. If he's not upstairs, check the dungeon. The ones in the lowest levels. If they're going to keep him somewhere, there's no better place._

Gat made sure he took point, taking every step two at a time as he cleared each room. Troy may have been a beat behind, but he kept up with him, and once the upper floors were cleared – of both Vlad's presence, and the devils that were partying in it – they stood at the top of a large staircase leading to the lower levels.

"Looks welcoming, doesn't it?"

Johnny glanced at Troy out of the corner of his eye. "For Vlad, yeah. For anyone else? Nah, I'm not feeling it."

"So, you or me?"

"You really gotta ask?"

Johnny jumped straight to the bottom of the staircase and wrenched the door open. It flew off of its hinges, opening up to a large room lined with torches. He whipped his handgun out, hefting it as he walked by each cell, all dark and empty, and only raised it when he reached the end.

Inside the very last one was Vlad the Impaler. Chains kept his arms close to his body, and another set kept him anchored to the floor. He cracked open an eyelid at the sound of their footsteps, and opened the other when Troy stopped in front of his cell. "Ah. Is it time again?"

"For?"

"For you to gloat. To taunt. Your master is bored, and so am I with his antics."

"Uh, we don't work for him."

Vlad frowned. "No?"

"No," Troy said, shaking his head. "And we were pretty sure that you did."

"Used to. We had a severe…disagreement before deciding to part ways."

"And this is how you part ways?"

"This is his way of severing our business agreement. I had my own idea how, but wasn't given an option. Only an ultimatum. I've waited here ever since."

"You know you've got frats popping up all over the place, right?"

"Yes, to my displeasure."

"So, what do you say we cut a deal? We let you out, and you take care of them?"

"You let me out, I'll do that for free. But you want to ruin Satan, yes? Let me out, and I'll help you further that goal. Do we have an accord?"

"Oh, we fucking do," Johnny replied, and shot through the chains holding Vlad down.

* * *

The castle was clear in a matter of minutes. Kegger cups littered the ground as Johnny moved through the now-abandoned castle, and he kicked one towards Troy as he walked across the bridge. Troy was staring out at the city on the other side, but didn't move even when the cup bumped his heel.

They stood there in silence for few minutes, both looking at the buildings as they burned, and Johnny glanced away when Troy reached for his cigarette.

"You know something?" Troy started, his voice low. "I was furious at first. Angry in just about every way that you could imagine. I had this shit drilled into my head when I was younger. How to do just enough to earn your ticket to the pearly gates, and how to feel like a tremendous fuck up if you ever fell short. …When it was your time, of course. Until then, it was a neverending test to see where you'd screw up along the way."

"Because you were doomed to fail at some point?"

"Yeah. The only question was when, and to what degree. And yeah. I knew I'd fucked up. I'd fucked up a lot, but…I still thought there was something good there. Something that I could keep on working on."

"And you what? Just gave up the minute you got here?" Troy pursed his lips, and Johnny scowled. Shoved him in the shoulder hard. "Threw in the fucking towel and decided, hey, maybe the view's better up here, than down there?"

"Lee's guidance had me jumping in front of cars in the hopes I'd get lit on fire along the way. The more points you earn, the more you suffer, the more time they shave off, that kinda thing. That was all I had waiting for me here. All I had to fucking hope for," Troy said, gesturing towards the ruins surrounding them. "Now, I don't think Lee was expecting Sinterpol to get any funny ideas, but they saw something. It wasn't exactly the way to go to avoid eternal torment, but what else did I have? It just changed the scenery a bit. Gave me more of a say in the kinds of things I'd have to suffer through, even if it didn't take long for them to cut me loose."

"Cause Hell is what you make of it, eh?" Johnny gave him another shove, and waited. Saw Troy's eyes glint again, but he kept his mouth shut. "The hell is wrong with you? Throwing in with yet another group that doesn't give two shits about you!"

"And you do?" Troy pushed his hand away, and cut into his space, his eyes black. "Don't. The minute you saw blue, you wanted me gone. Actually wanted me dead, and now that I am, what is this? If it's guilt or some newfound forced sympathy, I don't want it."

"You motherfucking-"

"Shut up. Shut your fucking mouth, because we aren't doing this. Not now."

"What do you want me to say? That I'm happy you're here? That it's fucking grand, that you're dead and gone, when there's a huge gap on the ship where you should be? Where a whole lotta people should be?" Gat snarled, meeting Troy in the center. "Yeah, back when I first found shit out, I did want you dead. Wanted to put that fucking bullet right between your eyes where it belonged. It was a mercy compared to what pigs like you deserved, but I wasn't going to be picky. And like hell was I going to let you walk away."

Troy's lip curled. "And?"

"…But in jail, I had a lot to think about. How pissed Eesh was going to be once she heard where I was. What kinda shit Dex was up to now that he'd fucked off to Ultor. What V would've thought of this, and the shit you'd done. And the shit that you kept on doing. Helping me. Helping her. I couldn't wrap my head around it. Not then. But, yeah. When she got me out of that cell, the first thing I could've done was pay you a visit. If it'd been a year in, I would've done it. Waited, and made sure I hit the mark this time. After that? Still wanted to throw you a beating, but…"

"But what?"

"Maybe I could live with the fact that you'd be breathing. Could find a way to deal with it. This shit? This ain't you."

Troy's eyebrows drew together, but in seconds his expression went flat. "I know what I am. What this place marked me as. Tell me," he said, his voice going deathly silent, "The fuck do you see?"

"Someone so fucking caught up in what he should be, he never took the time to choose what he wanted to be."

"It's not that easy, Johnny. Never was."

"No. But if you're that fucking set on proving V and me wrong, do it. Quit making excuses for it."

He stomped off, Troy's surprise only serving to piss him off further, and didn't care where he was going. The street was the best way to put distance between them, and he didn't pay attention to anything that came his way.

The car slammed into him, and Johnny flew across the street before skidding to a stop on the pavement. He raised his head, hissing as the pulse of energy worked to knit his skin back together, and climbed to his feet.

Behind the wheel of the car that hit him wasn't an enterprising devil. It was a terrified woman, one who had seen better days, but wasn't decayed to the point that the other husks were. And when she opened the driver's door to step outside and swear at him in Spanish, he was stunned.

Midway through her rant, she paused and took a closer look at him as well, and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Luz?"

"Johnny? Johnny Gat?"

He burst out laughing, nearly doubling over. "Fucking A! Never thought I'd see you again." Her next few replies came in Spanish, and he smirked. "Yeah, yeah. I get that the feeling's not exactly mutual. We're not exactly here on vacation either. We've got a boss to find."

"V?"

"Yeah, V."

"She didn't die, did she?"

"Oh, fuck no. Satan thought it'd be a good idea to marry her off to his kid, so we're going to get her back while fucking up his shit in the process." Luz nodded in understanding, and Johnny added, "You want in on this?"

"The rescue, or the actual ruining part?" she asked, slipping back into Spanish again.

"Both."

"I might be more helpful with one over the other."

"It don't matter. You want to put the hurting on him, we'll have you."

A smile spread across her face. "Then you are in luck. I very much want to."

"Uh, you got any of that?" Troy asked, puzzled. "I mean, I got part of that, but not all of it."

Luz made another comment, and Johnny chuckled. "You really don't know jack and shit about Spanish, do you? Didn't get to that part of your learning in Berry Central?"

"I got my fucking basics down in high school, and let it go from there. I might've been rusty when I joined, so sue me."

"The Los Carnales? Come on."

Troy flattened his lips into a thin line. "You know what? How about we just call it here, and keep on going? That sound good to everyone?"

"If it means getting out of here? Yes," Luz said, this time in English. "I'll do so gladly."


	6. Chapter 6

"Ain't this something."

V heard his voice, but didn't raise her head. Just sat there, slumped against the side of the crystal and hoped he wouldn't speak again. But he chuckled. It was just an uncanny match to the tone she knew and loved, and she hated it.

"After all of this trouble getting ready for this thing, I was worried it'd all go to waste. Maybe it doesn't have to. The entire time I've been thinking about what was going to happen to this place once I was gone. Who would be able to bring out its full potential? To keep it running well without making too many waves. Heavy stuff."

'Johnny' paced around outside, and her eyes found him. They circled around his legs, and the torn jeans as his boots passed in front of her, and she didn't want to see his face.

"When we first met, I was sure you were the one. Chaos on Earth? Chaos in space? What's Hell to someone who's been good at raising it no matter where she goes? I figured you'd be a great influence on her. Show Jezebel exactly what she should aim for instead of the shit she was set on filling her head with."

"Oh, yeah. Real silly shit like wanting to treat others decently while also being given respect." V forced herself to look up at him. "No, I can't even imagine why she'd want either of those things."

"This was her home. Her inheritance," he replied, sunglasses gleaming. "This was hers to step up and take the moment she was old enough to."

"She told you she didn't want it. She was willing to level with you and be honest."

"True. It wasn't going to change the fact that she had responsibilities to cover. And it was high time for her to grow up and accept that."

She took one long look at him, and spat at him bitterly, "God, you're a shit father."

'Johnny's' grin faded, and so did the illusion. "No. Just a pragmatic one. And seeing as she's unwilling to come to this conclusion on her own, marriage is the next step. You or him, either would do."

"What?" He didn't elaborate, and she climbed to her feet. "The fuck are you talking about?"

"I had such hopes for you. Perhaps Mr. Gat will fare better."

His eyes glowed as she pressed her hands to the crystal, and just as she yelled, everything went black.

* * *

It didn't take long for Shaundi to get back to them. Johnny hefted the paddle emblazoned with Hell's local team, and touched his hand to his ear. There was no need for him to do so, but it felt right, and he kept an eye out for any popped collars running around. The tide of body spray had faded, but not completely. "Yo. You get the boat?"

 _You have to ask? We're on route right now, and I don't think I'll be able to part with this once we're done._

"Nice work. Enjoying it?"

 _Yes,_ she replied, eagerly. _Probably a hell of a lot more than necessary. At first it was strange getting it to respond to the air currents, but now it's a dream. It soars like you wouldn't imagine._

"You start singing, 'yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum' while we're flying there, and we're pulling over."

 _Hey, I don't want to hear it. If this place had any actual wind and sun and you were up here steering it, you'd agree. Troy still with you?_

Johnny hopped up, grabbing onto a piece of rebar jutting out of a wrecked building, and scanned the area. It took him a grand total of thirty seconds to find the only suited figure in a sea of polos. He wasn't swinging much, just yelling at the nearby demons, and Gat shook his head. "He's close enough. He ain't the only one here now, though. You ever meet Luz?"

 _Luz? I don't think…oh, wait, I think I do. She was one of the dealers that the boss used to know. She hooked us up with some amazing coke back in the day, but it's been years since I've seen her._

Luz took a swing with the paddle that had the demons' heads snapping, and Johnny gave a nod of approval. "Yeah. Before joining with us she was part of the Carnales. It was way back when V was just getting started. Dex and Troy saw more of her than I did, but when she popped up again, V was willing to work with her."

 _I think I remember her bringing that up too. There's almost too much history there._

"Yeah. Not the choice I would've made, but she's here and willing to help us now, so it counted for something."

 _Looks like it. Anyway, I'd say we're about ten minutes out at the most if you want to head back with us._

"Fuck that. We'll meet you. Heading back to Ultor?"

 _Yeah. It's as good a place as any, though Dex did say to stop by once Blackbeard was given the heave-ho._

"Oh? And you were saying you didn't keelhaul the motherfucker?"

 _...I don't remember_ ever _saying that. Anyway, see you soon?_

He chuckled. "I'll lay off. See you there."

Glancing around, Gat checked for Troy and Luz again, and launched himself up for a better vantage point. The elevation was a needed boost, and he spread his wings wide as he glided over to a point close by.

The action was thick enough for him to get in a decent swing on the way down, and Troy scrambled to duck in order to avoid the demon tossed his way.

"Jesus, can you just not toss any extra shit at us?" he yelled, narrowing dodging the same demon when Luz cracked it back his way.

"What? You did pretty good avoiding that."

"Yeah, when the only warning I get is loud screaming rushing at me. No big deal, right?" Troy let his arms flop down when he heard Johnny's snickering, and flipped him off. "Any news?"

"Shaundi's got the boat ready to go and is heading back to Ultor. Vlad's got the rest of this covered, so there's no need for us to fuck around here any longer."

Luz brushed her hair behind her ear, and let the paddle fall to the ground. "Is that it then? Are we ready to move on?"

Johnny cracked his knuckles, and gestured towards the nearest road. "Let's get the hell out of here."

"All right. You take the air. We'll meet you there," Troy said, forcing open the door of a nearby car. "Shouldn't be too far behind you, but we'll find a way to cut through."

Johnny watched them for a few seconds, then moved to pound on the driver's door. Both of their eyes snapped to him, and he gestured for Troy to roll down the window.

"Shove over."

Troy stared at him, confused by the request. "What?"

"I said, shove over. You want to get there fast? Or five years from now?" Troy didn't budge, so Johnny pointed right at the wheel. "Unless you wanna tell me you finally learned to drive like you're in a hurry."

Luz was peering at both of them curiously now, and Gat leaned against the door as both of his eyebrows inched up. Troy hesitated, but undid his seat belt so he could climb out. "All right, all right. But you better get all there in one piece. None of that fancy shit you used to pull."

"No promises," Gat replied, stepping back, and the corner of his mouth edged up before he could stop it.

"Or warnings. Cause I don't think you've learned to drive like a normal human being either." He glanced back at the car by them, and rubbed his chin. "But I think we might need to grab another car if you're driving."

"Why?"

Troy pulled out his pack of smokes, and cracked a smile. "It's stick."

* * *

"I'd ask how we're doing this, but I have a feeling the vote's only going in one direction." Dex paced across the deck of the ship, looking to each of them as he passed by. "Hit hard, hit fast, and don't give him a single chance to recover."

Johnny shrugged. "Something like that."

"Well, that's what we're working with, and that's what we're going to try and pull off. Satan's forces are a hell of a lot more scattered than when we started this. His Archdukes were his ace in the hole. His guaranteed go-to in case we got close, but now? He's left grasping for whatever he has left, and his tower's the final defense."

The map lit up behind him, illuminating the blueprints of Satan's tower.

"After talking to Shakespeare I was able to get my hands on these. The original blueprints show at least three or four different access points, but we want to go here," Johnny said, pointing at the upper level. "Using Blackbeard's ship, we'll sail in and take out the soldiers present as quickly as possible. Every second we use after getting there's another second that he can use to ready a means of dealing with us."

"Heavy firepower's a must. Got it." Shaundi shifted from one foot to another, and turned to Johnny. "But rockets?"

"Fuck, yeah."

Troy gave them a wry look. "Which'll be dropped once we're inside, right?"

"Depends on what he's using to seal up the rooms inside."

"The throne room's got some heavy defenses in place. Do you think my father might take her there?" Jezebel asked, heading over to the map. She highlighted a single room, and stepped back. "It's probably the best place, especially if he's left with no real way out. You close the doors and nothing can get them open."

Troy sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "They're not getting dropped."

"We'll take them. Better to have them there and toss them aside, than need them and get fucked in the process." Dex panned the map back to the outside of the spire and turned back to them. "I spoke to Tobias and Luz, and they agreed to start minor disturbances nearby. It'll give us enough of a window to swoop in and land."

"I'll head out and get the boat prepped," Shaundi said, heading towards the door. "Blackbeard's already out there, so we'll be ready in minutes."

Viola and Kiki traded a look before following her, and Jezebel wasn't too far behind. "We'll do the same." Kiki called back over her shoulder. "Meet you outside. We're taking off as soon as you climb on board. No excuses."

The doors slammed shut behind them, and Dex turned his attention back to the map. The spire still remained, and he studied it quietly until Johnny moved forward to join him. "Worried?"

"You're not."

"No. Don't even know why I asked if you were either. Can't even think of a time when you've doubted the kind of shit we've tried to pull off."

"You say you're doing something, you're doing it. No need to make it more complicated than that."

Troy snorted, and Johnny didn't need to turn to know he was shaking his head at him. Dex wasn't however. A small smile slid onto his face, and he chuckled. "Strange, isn't it? How close it is?"

"To what?"

"The good old days. Like before. Minus one, but…I think this is as close as we'll ever get."

Johnny tensed, but didn't hold onto the feeling. It was old pain. The kind that lingered even now, and that Lin wouldn't have told him to cling to. Still, wherever she was, he was glad it wasn't here.

The embers on Troy's cigarette burned as his grip tightened on it, and angled his eyes towards the floor. "Better that way."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed. "I hear that."

"Still got one more to rescue before we can call it a day, though. And before we do, I've got something that might help."

Dex pulled a large rectangular case out from behind the table and set it down on top of it. He flipped the locks open, and raised the lid. Johnny let out a low whistle at the sight of the embellished weapon. The main body of the shotgun ran through the back of a horned golden skull, the eyes burning bright as Dex held it up so they could have a better look.

Flipping it over, he held out the handle to Johnny. "Gallows-Dodger they call it. With your history, I thought you'd relate."

Johnny wrapped his fingers around the grip slowly, testing the weight of the gun, and held it up. He opened it up, then cocked it, and there was a balance to it that impressed him. "Thanks."

"No problem. Just put it to good use, and we'll be even."

* * *

The first shot almost blew a hole right through the doors of the spire. It took a few seconds for the ship's cannon to recharge, but the next shot punched a hole clear through. Johnny didn't wait for the boat to dock before taking flight. The hole gave him just enough space to zip through, and he used the momentum to slam into the first set of devils to appear. They hit the ground, and stayed there when he stood up and backtracked to the doors.

They weren't latched, but after two shots from his souped-up gun, he was able to shove them open to let the others in. They filed in one by one and ran, blowing each demon away, one by one. Jezebel yelled out directions as they ran, directing them towards the throne room, but screamed when they rounded the last turn before it.

Waiting ahead was a monster roughly three times their size. It snarled, raising its axe high, and when it hit the floor, the entire room rattled.

"Go ahead!" Dex yelled over the roar of the beast. "We've got this! Get V!"

Johnny swore loudly, but turned and ran with Shaundi hot on his heels. They leapt over the behemoth, barely missing the axe that embedded itself in the wall behind them. Bullets whizzed by their heads as they kept on going, the only path ahead leading straight to their destination. The large golden doors that waited for them weren't closed, however. They were open, and they dashed inside without a thought.

Johnny skidded to a stop, and scanned the room. Shaundi kept her weapon up as she stayed at his back, and together they moved forward. Satan's throne sat at the top of a set of stairs, flanked by twin statues of wrought iron beasts that Johnny had never seen before in his life. But Satan himself was nowhere in sight.

The torches on the walls flickered, then went dark.

"At last we meet face to face. Your reputations both precede you!"

Johnny squinted in the darkness, but couldn't see anything. Not even his ears could pick up on any movement, aside from Shaundi's footsteps. "Don't think this counts. Can't even see your fucking face."

"There's a reason behind that."

The lights came on again, the torches blazing, and both of their guns snapped towards the large figure that joined them. Wrapped in a long cloak, Satan whipped it over his shoulders as he approached them slowly.

"I do want to commend you both. It's been years since any individual has dared to show their face here. I would almost say it's worth celebrating, but that's not what we're here to celebrate today. No, we are to celebrate a wedding. A joining between two individuals in unholy matrimony. I would ask if anyone present objected to this union, but…I doubt you would be here otherwise."

"You know it."

"So, what if I proposed an alternative? If you were to wed my daughter instead?"

Gat balked. "What?"

"Marry my Jezebel and guide her. Do what your boss would've done in her place. It's a worthy trade, and gives her the freedom you so desperately want to earn back for her."

"Johnny," Shaundi hissed, "I don't even need to begin to say how shitty of an idea that is."

"But is it? With so much available at your fingertips? So much more than she could ever offer you in turn?"

The answer to that came fast. "No."

"Pity."

The doors slammed shut behind them, and Johnny whipped his head around. Shaundi gave them a pull, putting as much of her power into it as possible, but they didn't give.

"There's no need to strain yourself. The seal placed upon them's only to be lifted in one of two ways, though the death of the caster, or through their mercy," he stated, the glow surrounding growing in intensity. "Neither of which you will be able to earn. Which is a shame, considering who our audience is."

He pulled at the large blanket obscuring the object next to him, and it flew off, revealing a large opaque crystal. The surface didn't reveal any hint of what was within, but Johnny didn't need to see V to know that was where she'd been trapped.

"Whatever will you do now? Are you ready to reclaim that which was taken-"

The Gallows-Dodger went off, and tore through the back wall of the throne room. What it didn't tear through was Satan, and Johnny fired again once he had a bead on him. Satan flew to the side, right into the fireball Shaundi lobbed, and whipped his cloak up. It caught, but with a flick was extinguished.

"Is that all you have to offer me? Mere tricks?"

He vanished, flashing back and forth across the floor until Johnny felt a force like a truck slam into him. It threw him off balance long enough for Satan's arm to clamp around his neck. The weight threatened to crush his windpipe, and he choked out a cough as he pushed back.

"Shameful. I expected more out of you. All of this careful planning, and you have nothing to show for it."

"Wrong. We've got plenty," Gat ground out, and headbutted him with as much force as he could muster.

Johnny rocked back, pain lancing through the back of his head as his vision blurred, but heard Satan roar. Shaundi unloaded shot after shot into his back with the discarded Gallow-Dodger, refusing to let up even as Satan advanced on her.

"Johnny!"

Looking her way, he saw Shaundi gesture towards the gem, and he dove for it. His fist collided with the surface, glancing off of it. The crystal pulsed, and Johnny slammed another fist into it. Pounding on it over and over, he wasn't going to stop. Even if his fists were the first to give. Cracks spread out with each impact, increasing with each yell, until he felt a force grab him.

He hit a flat surface seconds later, and fought against it. Felt every part of himself quake as the brand glowed, and he accepted the feeling clawing inside of his chest.

"Why push this hard? Is it truly that difficult to accept that this woman's no longer within your reach?"

The weight doubled, the stress threatening to make his head snap back.

"Is she truly worth this much to you?"

A spark of light went off, taking the weight off of him instantly, and he didn't wait to see how the devil weathered it. Just leapt forward and brought his arm down. Not every hit connected, but enough did to fuel the rage behind them. And with each hit, Satan began to yield.

He fell to his knees, beaten and worn down, and Johnny took one last punch before withdrawing.

"Release her."

He didn't reply, and Gat cocked his gun.

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Satan raised his head, glaring up at them balefully, and vanished in a flash of white light. Johnny started, sweeping his gun around the room, until his attention fell on the crystal.

Light enveloped it, traveling up from the ground as the crystal was eaten away, and at the very bottom curled against the ground was V.

She sat up, dazed as she took in the change in her surroundings and froze once she saw him. A beat later, she was up and running towards him.

Her mouth met his. It was quick, almost feverish as she scrambled to wrap her arms around him, and he hoisted her up, but they didn't part. Just held on tight, and he kissed her back with everything he could muster.

She shifted, hugging him tight, and couldn't pick the words that were flying out of her mouth out. Just kept on kissing her, mumbling his own rushed words and phrases, as his hands moved over her.

"God, just-" She sucked in a breath and rested her forehead against his. "I don't want to be a dick and ask what took you two so long, but fuck. It felt like ages, and you…"

Her hand brushed against his cheek, and he wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Pressing a kiss to her palm, he rumbled, "I know. But we're here now, and ain't going anywhere."

He heard Shaundi clear her throat. "Though, I will end up excusing myself if you two keep on going this route. No offense."

"None taken." V's soft smile went wide –hers had always been infectious – and she reached out towards Shaundi. "Though if you think you're exempt from this lovefest, you've got another thing coming."

"Uh, I don't think-"

"Get your ass over here, hon. You're both a sight for sore eyes, and there's no way I'm not going to hug the hell out of you."

Shaundi snorted, but let V tug on her arm when she approached, and she and Johnny slung an arm around her shoulders. Before long, she was grinning too.

"That's my girl."

"Hush. Don't ruin the moment, boss."

 _Real touching stuff._

The three froze.

 _No, I mean it. This is great. After a great struggle to fight back against insurmountable odds, this has got to be satisfying._

"Yo, who is this?"

 _I've got a lot of names, but I'm willing to stick with any of the usuals. Being the resident shining beam of light, and all._

V paled, and Johnny tightened his grip on her arm. "So, you've been watching? If that's the case, why cut in now?"

 _Well, for starters I want to thank you. You two have put a serious dent in a problem that should've been stopped ages ago. Satan knew we were overwhelmed with the souls being placed. Planned on it, even. So, imagine how well we would've done if he had charged in._

"Pretty fucking poorly."

 _My words exactly. And if the wedding had gone off without a hitch, he would've had the former President of the United States as a rallying force._

"Like hell he would've," V muttered.

 _Yeah, I know you wouldn't have been truly supportive of his aims, but as a figurehead you would've been perfect. And that's all he needed._

"So what now?" Johnny asked. "Cause I'll tell you what we want to do is get the fuck out of here."

 _A completely reasonable response. I know I'd want out of here in your place, but I have a deal to propose. For both of you and your supporters, because without your assistance, we wouldn't be having this conversation to begin with._

The seal on the doors glowed, and Johnny watched it fade. Seconds later, they opened, and Dex stuck his head through.

 _Come in. All of you._

They hesitated, but one by one they all entered the room. Not once did V's grip loosen, and Johnny swallowed hard when she inhaled sharply.

 _Now, these circumstances are unusual. So to reward an unusual situation, I have a proposal that I hope you will all find ideal. You all have time here for a variety of reasons, some less noble than others, but today you've done something great. And that has earned you a pass upward, should you choose to accept it._

"To Heaven?" V asked, her voice almost silent.

 _Yes. To Heaven._

Johnny almost laughed. "Well, look at that."

 _Yeah. And all you have to do is give me the word, and it's done._

Dex shook his head, rubbing his eyes before meeting Johnny's across the room. "Done? With a simple snap of the fingers? Fuck."

 _Just about. I wouldn't wait here too long, however. Things aren't heating up like they used to, but I'd rather not wait to see what else's waiting._

Viola kept a hand on her sister's arm when V and Shaundi approached the two, and Johnny found himself chuckling when Viola's attempt at a handshake ended in a hug. Tobias got one tight enough to have him laugh about it, and she didn't spare anyone, even Luz. Shaundi wasn't as openly expressive, but she didn't need to hug the hell out of any of them to drive home how much she was feeling in that moment.

For Dex she gave him a quick handshake. V, also offered her hand. The expression that crossed Dex's face wasn't one Johnny was able to nail, but when he took her hand it softened. It faded by the time Johnny found himself staring down at his outstretched hand.

"I could say all sorts of shit right now, but…maybe it's best to leave it simple."

"Yeah. That complicated shit's wasted on us."

Dex gave his hand a firm shake, and Johnny returned it. "Take care."

He didn't linger, moving on as soon as the words left his mouth. There wasn't time for anything more, and Gat found himself appreciating it. His actions said more than his words ever could.

Troy stepped up after, and Johnny didn't wait for him to offer his hand. He held his out, and Troy grasped it tightly. "Thank you," Troy said, his voice rough. "For watching over her this long, and for being there. Though this shit, and through…everything else."

"You know you would've."

"I know, but that doesn't change the facts. And how fucking grateful I am."

Troy let go of his hand, and Johnny stepped back only to see Troy's lips press into a thin line. V was waiting by his side, chewing the corner of her lip as she glanced between the two, and Johnny felt his throat go dry. Then stepped back, giving them as much space as he could.

V grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, but he took her hand and squeezed it before leaving.

"V…"

V didn't let Troy get another word out. She hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep him close. His hands gingerly touched her shoulders, before returning it, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

His fingers lightly touched her chin, brushing strands of her hair away before V drew him in closer, and Johnny angled his eyes away. It wasn't the privacy they should've had, but it was all he could give at the moment.

The two groups parted after that, V returning to Johnny and Shaundi's side, and the voice of God spoke up.

 _Ready?_

They all nodded slowly and in the blink of an eye they were gone.

"Thank you," V said, staring up at the ceiling. "You…just thank you." She scrubbed at her eyes, and Shaundi gave her shoulder a squeeze.

 _Don't mention it. Now, you're still in need of a way home?_

A point in front of them crackled and flashed, before opening up.

 _Take this, and that should do the trick._

Jezebel looked towards them hesitantly, and V broke away from Johnny and Shaundi to approach her. "I know it's not ideal, but…want to come with us? We're still figuring things out on our end, but if you want a home, you've got one."

She stared at the portal, then at the throne room, taking in the destruction left behind. "Is it bad that I'm hesitating? Even now when I finally have a chance to change things?"

"No. This was home. I don't blame you one bit." Jezebel gave her a brilliant grin, and V lightly punched her in the arm. "'Sides, I think you'd make a fine Saint too, if you'd like to join up."

"With you three?"

"There's way more than three of us, but if you want in, you're in."

V held out her fist as the others watched on, and Jezebel gave it a light bump.

"Guess that settles it. You're a Saint, kid."

Placing her hands on her hips, V turned back to Johnny and Shaundi, and grinned. Her eyes were still wet – even after she swiped at them, and he walked over to her. A stray tear had escaped her notice, and he swiped it away with his thumb. "So, what now, boss?"

"We go home. Simple as that."

 _Sorry to break into this again, but I'd like a moment alone with these two._

V eyed the ceiling warily, and Johnny looked over at Shaundi. She wore some of the same unease, but shrugged it off. "To?"

 _To go over a few things. Won't take long._

"Go ahead," Johnny said, gesturing towards V and Jezebel. "We'll be right behind you."

She let go, and Gat didn't look away until both she and Jezebel had stepped through. The portal blinked out of existence after that, leaving them the only ones present in the room.

 _Okay, now that that's done…_

Johnny heard a snap, and the mark went out, vanishing in a puff of acrid smoke that left his skin virtually untouched. "What just happened?"

 _Well, surely you didn't expect those abilities to stick around. The corruption spreads fast, and no matter how intoxicating it can feel, it's never worth the final price. Trust me. Now I'd like to thank you both personally for a job well-done. Between aliens and demons, your plate's been full for a while. And while you all didn't always go for the neatest option, you got things done. I can respect that._

Johnny snorted. "Yeah, yeah, we've been over this."

 _No, not exactly. Because if you two hadn't come along and torn the place apart, Satan would've gone on to do a little redecorating around my place. You see, your boss has a way of swaying people. Of generating the kind of support that others envy. All she would have to do is say the magic words, and we would have thousands of demons pounding on the gates. And they're sturdy, but that kind of force is going to chip away at it until its nothing._

"Using V?" Shaundi asked, staring skyward. "She's already shared her thoughts on that."

 _True. It wouldn't have been easy to find ways to twist their arm, but Satan was hardly thinking that far ahead. I think the wedding might've gone to his head, since his largest concern before you two came in was the font on the invitations. You can't go too bold._

"Hey. This fucking tangent going anywhere?"

 _Yes. To cut to the chase, I'm grateful you two intervened. Ecstatic, even if you can't really hear it in my voice._

"Yeah, you're not giving us much."

 _I figured. Anyway, as a token of my eternal gratitude, I've got some options for you._

"Options?"

 _Things that become a reality, and I think I've covered some good ones. However, you two seem to have certain things in mind already. Like home, for starters._

"I've been knee-deep in sulfur pits and brimstone, of course I want to go-" Shaundi's sentence cut off, and Gat turned to meet her stare. "Home."

"What are you saying?"

 _There can be a fresh start. However, it's up to you to decide which option wins out. A clean slate, in which you trade the history of what makes each of you uniquely you? A set of coordinates leading a place that could be paradise? Limitless knowledge? A chance to see Heaven up close, no entrance fee required? Not that I think either of you are interested in taking it, but there is an opening in our Hell Division. Upper management's going to be aiming for it, but I can make an exception._

"We'll pass on that," Shaundi said, shaking her head. "Tempting as it is."

 _Fair enough. So what will it be?_

Shaundi was on it before he could get a word in. "The coordinates. No contest."

 _Very well. One set of coordinates will be input into your ship's systems as soon as you head back. Simple as that._

"Okay, if it's all set and we're good to go, then let's get out of here. It's been fun, but I could really use a change of scenery." She turned on her heel, but he didn't follow. "Johnny?"

"Yo, big guy?"

 _Yes?_

"You said that there was no entrance fee, right? To Heaven?"

 _That's right._

He didn't meet Shaundi's gaze at first, but slowly turned to meet it. "I gotta."

He blinked, and in the next second he was alone. With no world, no Shaundi, nothing, but white space as far as he could see.

That's when he heard her. A short call as a set of gates materialized before him. It was a voice that still made his pulse run, and when he saw the golden gates open, he wasn't ready. Not for her face, or the smile she welcomed him with.

Aisha reached out her hand, and he took it.

* * *

V nearly fell off the table she was leaning against when Shaundi all but zapped into the room. Streamers flew into the air, half of them falling on her, and she stared blankly at V for a few seconds.

"Geez, hon, way to make an entrance," V said, taking in a deep breath to relax. "Where's Johnny?"

Shaundi looked behind her, panicked, and slowly turned towards her. "I…I don't know if he's coming back, boss."

V frowned. "What?"

"He…I, I don't know. The light, it…"

The realization didn't hit all at once. It crept in slowly, settling in the pit of V's stomach as she stared back at Shaundi, and tried not to break.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Shaundi said, over and over, and V pushed away from the table to approach her.

Before she did, however, sparks flew again. This time, close to where Shaundi was standing, and V moved her back before the portal opened.

Johnny stepped out, the marks scarring him long gone, and grinned. "Hey, boss. Miss me?"

"Yeah," she said, feeling her words catch. "You big jerk. You fucking bet I did."


	7. Chapter 7

"This is it." The planet orbiting in front of them was only a projection, but could've been Earth's twin. "Hope. The kind we've been seeking for so long, only to finally be able to grasp it."

"Doesn't this process require pausing for dramatic effect?" CID asked, his glowing blue eye flashing with every word. "Surprises lose their appeal if there's no anticipation behind them."

"I've got enough anticipation running through me right now to bust a blood vessel. Quit being picky and check out those numbers," V shot. "You'll be hard-pressed to find others like them. Zinjai?"

"As you wish, my lord."

Numbers flashed across the projection, telling oxygen levels, the kinds of gas present in the atmosphere – all things that were potential deal breakers. She couldn't remember when she'd last crossed her fingers, but the grip she had on them as the data scrolled by was tight, bordering on painful.

"So, my background in science's been pretty much limited to molotovs and ballistics. Is that livable, or are we shit out of luck?"

"They are…favorable." CID flashed as it kept on scanning the information in front of him, and hummed. "Quite favorable."

"We are both in agreement," Zinjai replied, lowering his tablet.

"Guess he kept his word, after all. It's…" V kept tapping her fingers on her arm, and couldn't sit still. "It's about as close to a sure thing as we're going to get, huh?"

"It's well within our travel limitations."

"Define well."

"We can be there in a matter of months. By upping our speeds, even sooner."

Kinzie raised an eyebrow, and sidled up to a nearby computer. "Without taxing our systems too much. The added strain should be easy enough to account for and correct if it does start to affect us." She spun around in her seat, and gave V a careful look. "It's risky."

"Yeah, but since when has that ever stopped us?"

"Boss."

V let her grin fall. "We need this, Kinzie. We could be out here forever, but with a like a chance like this, we could have more than that."

"You believe in it that much? That this could be our new home?"

"Yeah. I think it could be." She tapped her nails against the table as she took one last lingering look at the floating planet in front of them, and asked, "What do you say we punch it and find out?"

"Set a course?"

"Mark it and highlight it too. Anything that'll help us get there guaranteed. Because we've been floating out here long enough. Time to see about snagging some good old sunshine."

* * *

Gat didn't knock before walking in, but stopped right in the doorway. V and Shaundi were talking – their tones low enough that he could barely pick anything out, and he watched them for a few seconds.

Shaundi's back was to him, and V stood to her left facing the doorway. She leaned her head against Shaundi's shoulder for a few seconds, and just as Johnny considered coming back later, she raised her head.

"Yo, you need a sec?"

"No, we're good. Just finished going over a few things, so don't worry. I'll be out of your hair before you know it."

She gave V's shoulder a light tap, and headed out, but Gat intercepted her. He held out his fist. "You did good."

Shaundi rolled her eyes, but returned the gesture. "Right back at you. Now, let me sneak on out while I still can."

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, and let her slip out.

By the time he turned back to V, she'd lost a lot of the brightness she'd been wearing.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I wasn't really scuffed up that bad, so I'll be back to running around in no time flat."

"V. Are you okay?"

"…I don't know. I want to say yes. That I'm fine with a lot of what happened, but it's so much to process. I just want to dismiss it, really. Call it a dream, because that's easier to accept. It helps a little, though."

"What does?"

Her teeth worried at her lip for a good minute as she kept her eyes on the ground. "Knowing that they're in a better place now. That they were given that shot instead of being left in that pit, but…is it selfish that I wanted more than that?"

He recalled the way she'd pulled Troy close, and how he'd done the same with Eesh. How good it'd felt to hold her again, even if it'd only been for a moment. "No."

"It's another try. …I think that's what it is. For the others. For us. Lord knows we've had enough of them, but I'm fucking glad. For it, and you." V punched Johnny in the arm, but didn't put much force into it. "Jerk."

He pressed his lips together, and angled his head towards her. "Right back at you, boss."

"Not that I wouldn't have blamed you, but…"

She fell silent, her eyes resting anywhere but on him, and he took a cautious step towards her. Then another. Her fingers reached out to grasp his sleeve once he was within reach, and she leaned in to rest her forehead against his chest.

"I meant it when I said I wasn't going anywhere." He wrapped his arms around her, and felt her arms wind around him as well. "Every word."

"It must've been beautiful." Her voice was muffled, but he could still pick her words out. "Bright and lovely. Peaceful." He pressed his cheek to the top of her head. "You'd leave that?"

"Ain't my time." Her fingers dug into the back of his suit. "Not yet."

It took a moment, but she drew back to look up at him. "Good. Cause if we're about to go running around the universe, I'd rather have you there with me. In case we run into any trouble."

"You never know what kind of nasty shit's waiting. And there's gotta be something, right?"

"Exactly."

The smile she was wearing now was careful, but grew into a wide grin the moment he returned it. He hugged her close, his own grip tight, and leaned down to press his forehead against hers. "Side by side, or nothing, eh?"

She chuckled, her eyes wet, and nodded. "Yeah. Side by side or nothing."


End file.
